Cyclone Jayson Tatum passed through Washington last night. The forward, who was having a shooting crisis, broke into play against the Wizards to go up to 51 points and push for Boston to a comfortable 87-116 win.
The star of the Celtics was excellent in the shot to the basket. He finished 18-for-28 from the field, including 9-for-14 on 3-pointers (he was coming off 0-for-17 in the previous three games). From the free throw line he was infallible with a 6 of 6, and closed his statistical sheet with 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Simply unstoppable.
“When you miss shots, you still know what you’re capable of and sometimes you have to laugh. It’s as simple as sometimes you just don’t hit the shots. You play so many games…
Play many yes, but last night was not one more. For the fourth time in a Boston jersey, Tatum reached 50 points; that is, equals the mark of Larry Bird, who also achieved it four times. No other player exceeds the two games in such numbers defending the green shirt. Tatum left the Capital One Arena, where there were many Celtics fans, to a standing ovation.
“It’s an incredible feeling. Seeing so many fans on the road wearing a Tatum ‘0’ jersey… It’s something I don’t take for granted. I understand there are 450 options in the league and they took the time to buy my jersey.”
Smart’s return
After going through the health and safety protocols, Marcus Smart was ready to return to action last night. The guard he chipped in 11 points and showed his importance on a team that is 3-6 without him. Jaylen Brown also had a remarkable performance, who posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Washington, no options
Bradley Beal left with 19 points and Kyle Kuzma added another 12, but the reality is that everything the Wizards did was not enough to reach the end of the game with options. They didn’t start badly, but they closed the first half with a 14-0 run that left them down 15 points. From that moment they were unable to recover.
“Pretty much everything went down at the end of the second quarter. Essentially, there was the game. Credit to Tatum, he had a great night. Obviously those 51 points are a real number. I think he hit 6 of 8 3-pointers in a tough position. There is no excuse. He has had problems, but he found his rhythm tonight, ”says Wes Unseld Jr., who returned to the capital bench after leaving the health and safety protocols.
(Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)