Jayson Tatum makes NBA history in Celtics-Bulls

The Boston Celtics fell to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night by a final score of 117-108, but bounced back Saturday against the same opponent. After blowing out Chicago, Boston got back into the win column with a convincing victory that was led by superstar forward Jayson Tatum.

Finishing the game with 43 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and nine made threes, Tatum did a little bit of everything for the defending NBA champions. An early-season MVP candidate for the 22-6 Celtics, Tatum delivered one of his best all-around performances Saturday night against Chicago, and it made NBA history.

With his final line of 43 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and nine made threes, Tatum joined LA Clippers star James Harden as just the second player in NBA history to post that line or better in a single game (via Basketball Reference’s StatHead). Harden accomplished the feat in 2016 with the Houston Rockets when he had 53 points, 17 assists, 16 rebounds and nine made threes against the New York Knicks.

While Tatum has several incredible performances in his NBA career, this was one of the best.

When you add in true shooting percentage, Tatum’s performance on Saturday stands alone as the only game in NBA history.

StatMuse at X shared the historical lineage for Tatum:

Along with Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Tatum helped lead the Celtics to an NBA championship last season. Many felt the five-time NBA All-Star would enter this season extra motivated after his minutes were limited at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Team USA won gold, Tatum played the second-most minutes on the team.

While Tatum may or may not be extra motivated by how the Olympics went, he is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his NBA career, and Saturday’s performance was another incredible showing.

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