Boston Celtics fans had reason to celebrate a notable milestone reached by Jayson Tatum, even after their Game 5 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
The Celtics announced 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).”
Tatum’s Playoff Journey
Tatum, who turns 29 next March, has played 126 playoff games in nine seasons. He has been to the Eastern Conference Finals five times and the NBA Finals twice.
Along the way, Tatum has surpassed Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili and 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook in all-time playoff scoring.
In Tuesday’s loss, the Duke alum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and four assists.
Celtics Struggle From Deep
After the loss, Tatum gave credit to their opponents. He said that they played well.
Tatum noted, “a few looks that we felt good about that we just didn’t make.” He added that sometimes that happens, and it puts pressure on the defence.
The Celtics shot 11-for-39 (28%) from three in Tuesday’s loss. Joe Mazzulla’s team is 1-7 at home this season when they shoot sub-30% from deep.
Ahead of Game 6, Payton Pritchard addressed the concern.
“I don’t know,” Pritchard said of whether the C’s shoot better on the road.
Pritchard added, “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.”
Looking to Game 6
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.