Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is one of the best scorers in the league, and he reminded everyone of that fact on Sunday night by re-writing the NBA All-Star Game record books with 55 points in Team Giannis' 184-175 win over Team LeBron. For his efforts, Tatum was also named All-Star Game MVP.
"It means the world," Tatum said of setting the scoring record. "You think of all the legends and great players that have played in this game, and in all honesty records are meant to be broken. I'll hold it for as long as I can, but I'm certain somebody will come along in a couple years and try to break it."
Tatum was Giannis Antetokounmpo's first pick during the starters portion of the pre-game draft, and that turned out to be a terrific decision. Not only is he an incredible talent, but he took the game more seriously than most of the other players, which in itself was a big advantage. Tatum finished 20 of 31 from the field, including 10 of 18 from the 3-point line. In addition to his 55 points, he added 10 rebounds and six assists in a strong all-around performance befitting his vast array of talents.
Along with his full-game scoring record, Tatum set the mark for the most points in a single quarter in All-Star history with 27 in the third frame. Tatum caught fire from downtown, and put on a brilliant display of shot-making that included a 43-second span where he made three pull-up 3s in a row.
Jayson Tatum hits over Jaylen Brown to give him 27 PTS in Q3 ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
44 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 8 3PM#NBAAllStar | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/aXMoXouDpX
He also engaged in a one-on-one duel with his Celtics teammate, Jaylen Brown, at the end of the third. Everyone stood to the side and watched as those two went at it on four consecutive possessions. In the end, they each made one basket and got one stop in what was by far the most entertaining portion of the evening.
"Just trying to be competitive a little bit," Tatum said. "Trying to stay safe but just having some fun with it. And show JB he can't score on me."
Tatum's MVP was the ninth time that a Celtics player has won the award, but the first in over 40 years. The others include Ed Macauley (1951), Bob Cousy (1954, 1957), Bill Sharman (1955), Bill Russell (1963), Dave Cowens (1973), Nate Archibald (1981) and Larry Bird (1982).
