East Conf. Semifinals: Philadelphia 76ers 101-117 Boston Celtics - 5 Talking Points

#3 Jayson Tatum had a game to remember

Tatum celebrates a made 3-pointer

While Tatum did have 3-4 huge performances in the Celtics' first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, he raised it up several notches to net 28 points today - becoming the first Celtics rookie since Larry Bird to do so.

In a game when the Celtics sorely need its already depleted wing rotation to step up given Jaylen Brown's hamstring troubles, Tatum forced the issue right from the off. He scored in a number of different ways, getting his 28-point-haul off just 16 field goal attempts. He shot 12 free throws as well, making an impressive 11 of them - including a couple of 3-free-throw sets.

He was relentless in his attempts to drive to the basket, scoring off a couple of extremely tough layup opportunities while being double-teamed. Tatum had a +/- of +18, which was the highest for any player through the game. His defense on Redick, and later on Belinelli, forced the Sixers to shoot contested shots.