Jayson Tatum, a six-time All-Star, rose to the occasion. He put together a dominant first half, racking up 30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists as Boston entered halftime with a 74-64 lead.
During the break, the NBA announced that Tatum’s stat line was “one for the history books.”
“That’s the first time in the play-by-play era (1997-98) that those numbers have been reached in ANY half,” the NBA wrote while sharing his highlights.
Cleveland went on to win the game 123-116, but Tatum finished with 46 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Despite the loss, he’s been a huge reason for the Celtics’ success this season and their run to an NBA title last year. Entering the game, he was averaging 26.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists—all of which were less than his first-half stat line against Cleveland.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0)
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
He’s in his eighth season in the NBA after being drafted No. 3 overall by the Celtics in the 2017 draft. Aside from his six All-Star selections, he has an All-Star Game MVP and four All-NBA nods under his belt.
