The Boston Celtics dropped Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. However, even in a loss, Celtics fans had reason to celebrate a notable milestone reached by superstar forward Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics announced Tuesday night that Tatum has surpassed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for most playoff points before the age of 29.
“Jayson Tatum has passed Kobe Bryant for the second-most points (3,056) in NBA playoff history before turning 29 years old. He trails only LeBron James (3,871 points).”
Jayson Tatum’s Playoffs Legacy
Tatum, who turns 29 next March, has already played 126 playoff games in just nine seasons. This includes five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two trips to the NBA Finals. Along the way, Tatum has already surpassed Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili and 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook in all-time playoff scoring.
The Duke alum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in Tuesday’s loss.
“First of all, give them credit,” Tatum said after the loss, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“They played well. And yeah, a few looks that we felt good about that we just didn’t make.
“But sometimes that happens. You know, it’s just tough. Not scoring the way you want to puts a lot of pressure on your defense, and they made some plays at the other end.”
Will the Celtics Need a Game 7?
The Celtics shot 11-for-39 (28%) from three in Tuesday’s loss. It marked a continuing trend for Joe Mazzulla’s team — they are 1-7 at home this season when they shoot sub-30% from deep. Payton Pritchard addressed the concern ahead of Game 6.
“I don’t know,” Pritchard said of whether the C’s shoot better on the road.
“We’re going to have to figure that out. Can’t really put my finger on it, but honestly, it feels like we’ve been better on the road. We don’t want that to necessarily be the case. We want to be dominant at home and on the road. Definitely got to get that fixed.”
The Celtics will get another chance to close out the 76ers in Thursday’s Game 6. If they fail to pull off the road win, they’ll be back at home for a possible Game 7 on Saturday.
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