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Jayson Tatum, who was drafted by the Boston Celtics as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, has blossomed into an All-Star. Entering the fifth year of his career, the 23-year-old looks set to cement his status as one of the most fearsome offensive forces in the league.
Counting the play-in and postseason of the 2020-21 campaign, he had the most number of games with at least 50 points (3), tied with Steph Curry, the NBA scoring champ.
At only 23 years young, Jayson Tatum's trajectory is scary. With him and Jaylen Brown on their roster, the Boston Celtics are primed to be legit contenders for years to come.
Top games of Jayson Tatum's career that highlighted his scoring prowess
#5 Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics (April 17, 2021)
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics played host to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors at TD Bank North Garden on April 17, 2021.
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Both the Celtics and the Warriors were fighting for a playoff spot in their respective conferences. Boston toted a 31-26 record, while Golden State carried a precarious 28-29 slate. This game was as important as any in the teams' schedule.
The Boston Celtics' home floor was shaking to the rafters because of the performance displayed by Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum. They went back-and-forth in a scoring duel that Celtics fans will never forget. JT had a spectacular stat line of 44 points on 16-25 FG (64%) and 5-9 3FG (55.6%).
What was evident in the game was Jayson Tatum's ice-cold demeanor, as he never showed hesitation or indecisiveness. He fought fire with fire against probably the game's best shooter ever and came out the victor.
The Boston Celtics won 119-114 in one of the NBA's best matches of the 2020-21 season.
#4 Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics (May 18, 2021)
The NBA introduced the play-in format when the league was forced into a bubble tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was yet again followed in the 2020-21 season.
On May 18, 2021, the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards were set to battle for the last two seeds (7th and 8th) to advance into the playoffs.
To ensure that there would be no complications in the mini-tournament, Jayson Tatum lit up the Wizards for 50 points. 32 of those points came in the second half of the game.
Tatum's 50 points were more than Westbrook and Beal's combined total of 42. Boston also missed Jaylen Brown, who was sidelined with a season-ending injury.
With a 118-100 win, the Celtics secured the 7th spot in the East to book a date with the imposing Brooklyn Nets in the postseason.
#3 Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics (May 28, 2021)
After getting the 7th seed, the Boston Celtics faced the daunting task of beating Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving to move to the semifinal round of the postseason. Without All-Star Jaylen Brown, beating the Nets four times is near impossible unless Jayson Tatum explodes.
Tatum did explode for 50 points in Game 3 for a 125-119 Boston Celtics win. The Cs won despite Harden netting 41 points and Durant scoring 39.
Winning Game 3 cut the Brooklyn Nets' series lead to 2-1, but that would prove to be the only time the Boston Celtics beat the Nets.
Knowing that Boston's only chance of winning a game is via a Tatum scoring eruption, the Nets simply focused all their defensive efforts on the 23-year-old.
Then Brooklyn Nets defensive coordinator and current Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka came away extremely impressed with Tatum's ability to break defenses.
Kevin Durant also had high praise for Tatum after moving on to the finals to face eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks.
#2 Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics (April 9, 2021)
![Jayson Tatum goes for a tomahawk dunk against the Minnesota Timberwolves [Photo: Celtics Wire - USA Today]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/10/59528-16337487368643-800.jpg)
On April 9, 2021, the Boston Celtics entered a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a dismal 27-26 record.
In the 72-game shortened season, 19 games to make the play-in was going to be difficult for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.
To keep the Celtics' postseason hopes alive, Jayson Tatum scored a then-career-high of 53 points after hitting 16 of his 25 FG attempts, six of 10 three-point shots and an impressive 15-16 from the free-throw line. To underline his competitive fire, he scored 35 of his points in the second half and overtime.
The Boston Celtics played poorly in this game, going down by 14 early. This forced Brad Stevens to recall his best unit to the floor. One could say that this would have been a costly loss if not for Tatum's efforts to drag the Celtics to the finish line.
Before going toe-to-toe with two-time MVP Steph Curry a few days later, this was Tatum's finest performance in a regular-season game.
#1 San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics (April 30, 2021)
On March 12, 1985, in a game with highlights that have been watched by millions on YouTube, Larry Bird torched the Atlanta Hawks for 60 points. It was a performance so good that Hawks players were celebrating on the sidelines every time Bird scored a basket.
Thirty-six years after that jaw-dropping display, Jayson Tatum tied Larry Legend's franchise record. The Boston Celtics star accomplished the incredible feat by making 20-37 field-goal attempts, hitting 5 of 7 three-point shots and sinking15 of 17 free throws. He finished with a total of 60 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Celtics to a close 143-140 win against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Boston Celtics were outclassed for much of the game and were even trailing by 32 points at one juncture. Jayson Tatum had to put on his superhero cape and rescue the Celtics again with a performance for the ages.
Tying Larry Bird for the single most points scored in a game only emphasizes how far Tatum has grown as a scorer and as a competitor.
