Jayson Tatum joins Larry Bird as only players in Celtics history to record 40-point triple-double

Jayson Tatum continued to cement himself as one of the Boston Celtics‘ all-time greats on Saturday night when he went off for 43 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123-98 win over the Chicago Bulls. In the process, he joined Larry Bird as the only players in franchise history to record a 40-point triple-double. 

Furthermore, Tatum is the first Celtic ever with a 40-15-10 game, and the first player league-wide to have one since Nikola Jokic on Feb. 26, 2023. 

“His shot-making, his decision-making, and then his ability to rebound, it’s just great,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought he kind of controlled the entire game.

“Because he’s been doing great things for such a long time, I still think he gets taken for granted. Because he’s done it for a long time, and because it comes relatively easy for him, and we’re in Boston, so that’s the expectation.”

Tatum is the league’s leading first-quarter scorer at 9.4 points per game, but he actually got off to a slow start in this one, as he tallied just three points in the opening frame and missed four of his first five shots. But in the middle of the second quarter he found some space in the lane for a slam, which got him going. 

He put up 13 points, five rebounds and four assists in the second quarter alone to push the Celtics’ advantage to double digits. Neither he nor the team ever looked back, as they cruised to a comfortable win that earned them some measure of revenge after a frustrating defeat to the Bulls a few nights earlier. 

“It’s a long game. You try to find ways to pick your spots, pick your stretches, especially on a team that’s this good,” Tatum said. “We’ve got so many guys that offensively, it’s just about finding your moments to dominate the game. Joe [Mazzulla] always just tries to get me to dominate and amplify my teammates and make guys better in different ways.”

With the win, the Celtics improved to 22-6 on the season and boosted their net rating to plus-10. They’ll be back in action again on Monday against the Orlando Magic before returning home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.