Jayson Tatum's 51-point Performance Leads Boston Celtics to Victory over Charlotte Hornets on MLK Day
- World Soccer Today -
Here is a summary of the recent NBA games: The Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets with Jayson Tatum scoring over 50 points, and Stephen Curry helped the Golden State Warriors secure a win in their game.
Jayson Tatum put on a spectacular show with 51 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets 130-118 on Martin Luther King Day. This followed Tatum's 33 point performance against the Hornets just two days prior.
This win marked the seventh consecutive victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Tatum's performance was just one of many noteworthy individual displays around the NBA on Monday, with LeBron James scoring 48 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over Houston, and Stephen Curry scoring 41 points for the Golden State Warriors against the Washington Wizards.
Tatum's 50th point came in the closing seconds as he confidently hit a long-range three-pointer, which was met with cheers from the home crowd at the Spectrum Center.
Tatum also contributed with 18 points in the fourth quarter, making 15-of-23 from the field, 7 three-pointers, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Jayson Tatum's 51-point performance on Monday marked the fifth time in his career that he has scored over 50 points in a game.
His career high is a 60-point game against San Antonio in 2021.
This also made him the all-time leader for regular-season 50-point games for the Boston Celtics, surpassing franchise legend Larry Bird's record of four.
Tatum jokingly commented after the game that it had been a while since he scored 50 points and that scoring 51 points on Martin Luther King Day, honoring the civil rights leader, held extra significance for him.
He also added that without King, he wouldn't be able to live out his dream of playing in the NBA.
The win improved the Celtics record to 33-12 and they are 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Brooklyn.
In other games on Monday, Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a 127-118 road win over the Washington Wizards with 41 points.
The Warriors, who were in Washington, D.C. for a White House visit to celebrate their NBA championship win from last season, were trailing 106-98 in the fourth quarter.
However, two three-pointers from Draymond Green sparked a scoring run and Curry helped secure the win with his performance.
Curry credited Green and Jordan Poole, who scored 32 points, for their contributions and mentioned that the team had more composure and intelligence in the final quarter to finish the game.
In Los Angeles, LeBron James led the Lakers to a 140-132 win over the Houston Rockets with 48 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
Despite LeBron James' impressive performance, the Los Angeles Lakers had a difficult game against the Houston Rockets who currently have the worst record in the NBA at 10-34 and are at the bottom of the Western Conference.
In other games, the Memphis Grizzlies extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 136-106 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Ja Morant scored 29 points and Desmond Bane had 28 as Memphis improved to 30-13 and are tied with Denver at the top of the Western Conference.
In Milwaukee, the Bucks overcame back-to-back losses against Miami with a 132-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were behind by double digits in the third quarter but they rallied in the fourth quarter outscoring Indiana 39-21 to secure the win.
Jrue Holiday was key to the win with a season-high 35 points.
