CHICAGO — Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started slowly, battling early with the Chicago Bulls.
But the defending NBA champions came out ahead and prevailed 123-98 on Saturday night, with Tatum’s 43-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist effort earning the five-time All-Star comparisons to the former NBA great. Celtics and Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
Tatum’s third career triple-double was the first by a Celtics player that included 40 or more points since Bird scored 49 points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists against Portland in a 152-148 double-overtime victory. on March 15, 1992, according to the team. .
Tatum emphasized that winning is the most important thing, but a little icing on the cake doesn’t hurt.
“Larry Bird is probably the best player to ever wear this uniform,” Tatum said. “So every time you achieve something in the same sentence as him, it’s something special, even if you never reach that pinnacle.”
Bird finished with 59 triple-doubles in his 13 seasons with Boston. According to the Celtics, Tatum’s was the first on the team to include 40 or more points and 15 or more rebounds. Tatum’s effort also counted as his sixth consecutive double-double and 14th this season.
Tatum got rolling in the second quarter, then scored 18 points in the third as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth. He ended up making 16 of 24 field goals, making 9 of 15 three-point attempts. Two free throws completed their goal line.
“As a basketball player, you feel the rhythm, the ball finds you,” Tatum said. “You’re being active everywhere and probably in that third quarter.
“José [Mazzulla] He just challenges me every night, just to amplify my teammates and figure out ways to dominate the entire court. Obviously tonight I’m scoring a lot and getting rebounds. “It just looks different on any given night.”
The game was tied at 42 midway through the second quarter, then the Celtics and Tatum found an offensive rhythm. Boston held a 61-54 lead at the half, using an 8-0 run to open up a 12-point lead at one point. Tatum and the Celtics took control in the third after the Bulls pulled within five points.
“He went outside of what we normally do and that’s a testament to him,” Mazzulla said. “Just his shooting, his decision-making, his rebounding. I thought he controlled the whole game.”
