Jayson Tatum pours in 51 to power Celtics past Wizards

Jayson Tatum snapped out of a three-point shooting slump with a flourish, hitting 9-of-14 from distance en route to a season-high 51 points, and the Boston Celtics cruised past the Washington Wizards, 116-87, on Sunday, January 23 (Monday, January 24, Manila time).

Tatum came into Sunday’s matchup having missed his previous 20 three-point attempts and going scoreless from deep in each of Boston’s previous three games. But he hit his first 4 attempts against the Wizards and went 6-of-7 in the first half – the last of which came just seconds before halftime.

Sunday marked the fifth 50-point-plus game of Tatum’s career. He also joined backcourt mate Jaylen Brown in recording double-doubles.

Tatum grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 7 assists, while Brown finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Brown shot 4-of-9 from three-point range to do his part in Boston’s 19-of-39 deluge from deep. Marcus Smart (11 points) and Grant Williams (10 points) each made 2 shots from beyond the arc.

Williams snagged 7 rebounds to contribute to Boston’s 57-44 advantage on the glass. Robert Williams III and Al Horford each grabbed 8 boards.

Smart added 6 assists and 4 steals, highlighting a stout defensive effort from the Celtics. The 87 points Boston allowed were the fewest since holding New York to 75 points on January 8 and tied for the team’s fourth-lowest yield of the season.

The Wizards shot just 8-of-34 from long range and were a dismal 33-of-93 from the field overall.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 19 points and 7 assists, but he, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went scoreless from beyond the arc. Beal was 0-for-3, Caldwell-Pope went 0-for-4, and Dinwiddie was 0-for-7.

Deni Avdija scored 13 points and Thomas Bryant 11 off the bench for the Wizards. Kyle Kuzma finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. – Rappler.com