St. Louisan Jayson Tatum turned in the most memorable performance of his young basketball career to date when his team needed it the most.
With his Boston Celtics facing elimination against the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, the former Chaminade College Prep star erupted for 46 points in a 108-95 victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Milwaukee.
Behind Tatum’s heroic performance, the Celtics were able to force a Game 7 against the Bucks on Sunday afternoon in Boston. Tip off time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The winner will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
Tatum was able to outduel Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in an epic showdown between two of the best players in the game. Antetokounmpo finished the game with 44 points, 20 rebounds and six assists, but is wasn’t enough as Tatum matched him point for point. In addition to his 46 points, Tatum also had nine rebounds and four assists. He was 17 of 32 from the field and he made seven 3-pointers.
Tatum was at his best in the fourth quarter when the Bucks rallied to cut a 17-point lead down to four points. That was when he went on a personal 11-0 run to give the Celtics the breathing room they needed to seal the season-saving victory. A baseline jumper at the shot block buzzer, a pair of 3-pointers and a drive for a dunk and a three-point play highlighted Tatum’s breathtaking scoring run with the game in the balance.
Tatum’s performance on Friday night was the best by a St. Louisan in the NBA playoffs since 1976 when Jo Jo White had 33 points, six rebounds and nine assists for the Celtics in their epic 128-126 triple-overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
