Jayson Tatum scores 49 points as Celtics hold off Heat for fifth straight win
Jayson Tatum rolled off a screening action with Grant Williams and suddenly – somehow – found himself all alone with the ball beyond the 3-point arc. On a night he punished the Heat for 48 minutes, there was little question what was coming next.
Splash. Again.
Minutes later, as he stepped to the free throw line to put the finishing touches on his best performance of the season, “MVP” chants continued to shower down on Tatum. Just another night for the player who’s arguably been the league’s best through the first quarter of the season.
The Celtics were far from perfect on Wednesday night. They committed 17 turnovers, including six from Jaylen Brown. Their defense was pedestrian at times. But at the end of the night, they had just too much firepower against a Heat team without two of their best players. Tatum scored a season-high 49 points, Brown surged late to score 26 and the Celtics ultimately held off the Heat with a 134-121 victory.
The seeds of Tatum’s big game were planted from the opening tip, when the Celtics got off to another scorching offensive start.
