Jayson Tatum has played big minutes for the Boston Celtics in their opening-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tatum is averaging a team-high 37.8 minutes per game this series, including 42 minutes in the 108-100 win on Friday and 41 minutes in Tuesday’s 113-97 loss.
Tatum scored 24 points in the matchup and secured 16 rebounds. Embiid came up big for the 76ers, having team highs with 33 points and eight assists, with guard Tyrese Maxey scoring 25 and leading the team with 10 rebounds. After Tuesday’s loss, Boston now leads the series 3-2, with Game 6 happening in Philadelphia.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Tatum has put up numbers in those minutes, as he is second in points per game (24.6) behind teammate guard Jaylen Brown (25.8). Those playoff points for Tatum are starting to pile up, and he is beginning to enter rarefied air.
Tatum has previously revealed that his hero and idol is former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. With 24 points in Game 5 against the 76ers, Tatum reached 3,059 career playoff points. This connects the former Duke Blue Devil to his idol, as he passed Bryant (3,053) to become second all-time in playoff points before turning 29.
On Wednesday, the Celtics went to social media to announce the news, posting an image of the statistical output. In first place is LeBron James with 3,871 points, which he accumulated with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, Boston has declared Tatum in elite company, an inarguable point.
“Elite company ✨”
Boston will face Philadelphia at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 8 p.m. ET.
