Some of the greatest players in basketball history have suited up for the Boston Celtics. None of them matched the stats Jayson Tatum posted Saturday night in Chicago.

In one of the most impressive performances of this NBA season, Tatum collected 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as the Celtics defeated the Bulls 123-98. He became the first Boston player to post those numbers in a single game and the first from a team to do so since Luka Doncic in December 2022.

The only other Celtic to ever record a 40-point triple-double was Larry Bird, who played three such games during his Hall of Fame career. Bird played at least 46 minutes in each of those games, two of which went into overtime. Tatum played 36 minutes in his game and watched the final minutes from the bench with Boston coming out on top.

Add Tatum’s shooting stats (16 of 24 from the floor, 9 of 15 from 3-point range) and he’s joined an even more exclusive club. The only other player in NBA history to go 43-16-10 while making at least nine three-pointers: James Harden against the New York Knicks on New Year’s Eve 2016.

“I think any time you see a guy play like that, you’re kind of fascinated by it,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “But I thought he got it as the game went on. I don’t think he went beyond what we normally do and that’s a testament to him. But just his shooting technique, his decision making and then his rebounding ability was just great.

“I thought he controlled the entire game with his attitude and decision making and took what the defense gave him.”

Boston also saw productive nights from Kristaps Porzingis (22 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks) and Jaylen Brown (19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, one steal) as the Celtics avenged their controversial home loss to Chicago on Thursday.

Mazzulla’s club improved to 22-6 and has yet to lose consecutive games this season.

The Celtics’ 3-point woes from Thursday night continued into Saturday’s rematch. They made just one of their first six threes and the Bulls led for most of the first quarter. However, Boston was able to take advantage of Chicago’s NBA-worst paint defense, starting 7 of 9 on shots inside the restricted area and holding a 14-4 points advantage in the paint in the first quarter.

Brown led the way, as all ten points he scored in the first quarter came from shots at the rim or free throws earned on drives. Mazzulla played against Brown for the entire first quarter and replaced Tatum after eight minutes.

Oddly enough, for all the success Boston had early on attacking the rim, both teams failed badly on dunk attempts in the first quarter, with Derrick White making a block that would have been a highlight-reel jam for the Celtics and the Bulls making two screwed up. That would change as the game progressed.

With the score tied at 28:28, the Celtics went on a quick 12-2 run midway through the second quarter that gave them a double-digit score. Brown and Tatum delivered 10 of those points, and both scored in double figures before halftime, with Tatum one rebound shy of a first-half double-double. Porzingis sparked Boston’s offense early in the second period, scoring or assisting on each of the Celtics’ first four baskets of the quarter (while adding two free throws).

Boston led by 12 late in the first half, took a 61-54 lead into the locker room and then dominated the third quarter, which included a stunning slam from Porzingis and two from Tatum. With just over two left in the third, Tatum was up by eight, slipping past Coby White at the 3-point line and getting past Jalen Smith at the rim. He then made two three-pointers and Boston extended its lead to 16.

Tatum was nearly perfect in the third quarter, hitting 7 of 8 from the floor and almost single-handedly outscoring Chicago (23-18). He also grabbed five rebounds as the Bulls totaled six rebounds. The Celtics led 93-77 early in the fourth quarter and grew from there, with Tatum adding his seventh, eighth and ninth three-pointers before calling it a night for the night with 3:27 to play.

In ESPN’s first NBA MVP poll of the season, released Friday, Tatum was ranked fourth behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He did not receive a single first place vote and only three of the 95 second place votes.

Asked whether Tatum’s talent is overlooked in MVP debates – he finished sixth in official voting last season and has never been higher than fourth – Mazzulla replied: “Yeah, no question. That’s one hundred percent true.”

“I say this about him all the time: Because he’s been doing great things for so long, I still think he’s taken for granted,” the coach told reporters. “I think his size is taken for granted because he’s been doing it for a long time and it comes relatively easy to him. And we’re in Boston, which is the expectation. But it’s a great achievement from him.”

This was the kind of performance that could change voters’ minds about Tatum, who leads the Celtics in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game this season.

The Celtics will visit the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

Mazzulla fined

Mazzula’s vacation wishes cost him a pretty penny.

The Celtics’ head coach was fined $35,000 on Saturday for “aggressively pursuing and making inappropriate comments toward a game official” after Thursday night’s loss to the Bulls.

Mazzulla had to be restrained and escorted to the locker room by several members of his coaching staff while he attempted to argue with the Tony Brothers coaching staff. Asked about the exchange after the game, the coach joked, “I just hadn’t seen her in a while, so (I said) just Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.”

Mazzulla was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter of the loss for coming onto the field to discuss a jump ball call. He said after the game that he deserved the technical and told reporters on Saturday that he expected to be fined.

“It is what it is,” Mazzulla said in his pregame press conference. “Those are the rules. … I don’t know if it’s about sending a message, but at the time I felt like we did what we had to do and moved on.”

Originally published: December 21, 2024 at 10:18 pm EST