St. Louisan Jayson Tatum put on a phenomenal shooting display on Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 120-89 to eliminate the Magic from the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in Boston.
Once again, the former Chaminade College Prep All-American was front and center as he scored a game-high 35 points to lead the Celtics, who won the best of seven series four games to one. It was his 33rd playoff game in which he has scored at least 30 points.
Tatum also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out 10 assists on the night. His shooting was terrific in all facets as he was 10 of 16 from the field, four of five from 3-point range and a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line.
Tatum’s closing game performance was the climax of what was a dominant three-game run after missing Game 2 with a wrist injury. In those last three games, Tatum averaged 36 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while making 37 consecutive free throws.
The Celtics, who won their 18th world championship last season, advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will face the winner of the New York Knicks-Detroit Pistons series. The Knicks currently lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 slated for Thursday night in Detroit.