Jayson Tatum makes history in MVP performance against the Bulls

Jayson Tatum makes history in his MVP performance against the Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Saturday at the United Center, the Boston Celtics got revenge on the Chicago Bulls with a historic performance from Jayson Tatum.

The five-time All-Star posted 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the Celtics’ 123-98 win. It was his first triple-double of the season and the third of his career in the regular season.

He is the first player in Celtics history to score at least 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. It was the first 40-point triple-double by a Celtic since Larry Bird. Tatum accomplished the feat by going 16 of 24 from the floor, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range.

James Harden is the only other player in NBA history to have 40 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and nine 3-pointers. In 2016, he scored 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists with nine three-pointers with the Houston Rockets against the New York Knicks.

In fact, Tatum got off to a slow start with just three points in the first quarter. But once he got going, there was nothing the Bulls could do to slow him down.

The 26-year-old scored 13 points in the second quarter, 18 in the third and nine in the fourth quarter. After the game, he spoke with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin about finding his groove.

“It’s a long game. You try to find ways to pick your spots and routes, especially on a team that’s so good,” Tatum told Chin.

“We have so many guys on offense that it’s just a matter of finding the right moments to dominate the game. Joe (Mazzulla) is always trying to get me to dominate and empower my teammates and make the guys better in different ways.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised his superstar, who he says still doesn’t get enough credit for his greatness.

“I say that about him all the time because he’s been doing great things for so long. I still think he’s taken for granted,” Mazzulla said. “Because he’s been doing this for a long time and it’s relatively easy for him and we’re in Boston, which is the expectation. But it was a great performance from him.”

The only award Tatum still refuses to win is NBA MVP honors. Most sportsbooks currently give him the fifth-best odds to secure the honor in 2025.

Mazzulla was asked if he felt like Tatum’s talents were being overlooked in the MVP conversation.

“Yes, no question, that’s 100 percent true,” he replied. “Again, because he’s been doing it for so long and he’s on a really good team, and I think that hurts him sometimes. But just his ability to do what he does on a great team, I think, says more about him as a player.”

Following Saturday’s loss to the Bulls, Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor this season. He’ll look to expand his MVP case when the C’s visit the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

Kickoff for Celtics-Magic is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.