Celtics Jayson Tatum drops 51-point double-double in blowout win vs. Wizards

May 10, 2024

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored 51 points and put up 10 rebounds and seven assists against the Wizards Sunday, lifting Boston to a 116-87 win. Tatum is the second player in franchise history with at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game, according to ESPN.

Tatum, 23, shot 64.3 percent from the field, going 9-of-14 from the arc and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 2017 No. 3 overall pick is averaging 25.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season. His career high is 60 points.

The Celtics as a whole shot 44.4 percent from the field, making 19 of 39 3-point attempts. Boston is now the only team in the NBA with two or more players who have scored 50-plus points this season; Jaylen Brown scored 50 against the Magic on Jan. 2.

The team is now 24-24 on the season, sitting at ninth in the Eastern Conference.

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

GO DEEPER

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum breaks drought with another 50-point spectacle after pep talk from Marcus Smart

What impressed you most about Tatum's performance?

Jared Weiss, Celtics beat writer: His persistence. He never stopped attacking, which frankly isn’t that different from the last few games during his cold streak. It’s the silver lining from this whole week of extremes, that Tatum is at the point where he believes in himself and is capable enough that he will keep pushing for a breakthrough to the bitter end.

So when Bradley Beal talked to Tatum after yet another 50-piece dropped on Washington in the past calendar year, Beal told him it was “bittersweet.” That’s been the whole season for Tatum. He’s gotten so much better in so many areas, but his shot has abandoned him. So when he finally puts it all together after a brutal week, it’s truly bittersweet.

Evaluate Tatum's season to date

Weiss: This year has been the epitome of his entire career to date. As he found his footing in the league, Tatum kept having these flashes of brilliance to balance out 2-for-18 shooting nights that were as confounding as they were unsurprising. He didn’t know how to create great looks every single night, but he knew how to get his shot off at least.

Now he’s at the next phase, where he can manage a game at pretty much a superstar level, but has not found his shot too often this year. Entering Sunday, he was shooting 30.2 percent on wide-open 3s after connecting on 52.4 percent last season, per NBA Stats. Something is off, but we’ve seen enough of Tatum to know it’s going to come back around.

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