Inside The Celtics

Jayson Tatum Discusses Closing in on Another Milestone

Jayson Tatum registered a game-high 39 points in the Celtics' win vs. the Jazz, repeatedly making light work of the double teams he had to deal with all night.

Bobby Krivitsky

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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Jayson Tatum wasn't supposed to play Friday night. The Celtics were on the second half of a back-to-back, having just steamrolled the Bucks, 140-99, turning in a stellar two-way performance, arguably their best of the season.

But with the playoffs fast approaching, the four-time All-Star's been adamant, after wins and losses, about the need to quickly turn the page and move on to the next game.

Wanting to reinforce the habits demonstrated in Milwaukee and not see the value of that victory diminished with a loss to the Jazz, travel delays resulting in the defending Eastern Conference champions not landing in Boston until 1:30 p.m. Friday further motivated Tatum to suit up.

He then went out and delivered a game-high 39 points, repeatedly making light work of the double teams he had to deal with all night, and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Informed after the win that he's 175 points from reaching 10,000, Tatum expressed the following.

"I didn't know how close I was or where I was at, but I'm certain, probably not this year but next season, early next season, it'd be cool just to say I've scored 10,000 points. And obviously, that's kind of like a steppingstone. Hopefully, I score a lot more, but that's pretty cool."

Further Reading

Celtics Discuss Blake Griffin's Impact in Their Win vs. the Jazz

Jayson Tatum Wasn't Supposed to Play vs. the Jazz, But Celtics' Travel Delay Added to His Motivation to 'Go Through it with the Guys'

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Jazz: On a Chippy Night in Boston, Counterpunches Propel the Hosts to Victory

The Celtics are Proud of Their Growth, Including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's Maturation: 'I think We're a Better Team'

Celtics Discuss Dominating Performance in 140-99 Win Over Bucks

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Bucks: Boston Sends a Message in Blowout Victory

Al Horford Shares His First Impressions of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

Former Warriors' Director of Performance Keke Lyles Shares His Perspective on Load Management, Changing Stephen Curry's Movement Patterns, And What's Helped Jayson Tatum's Durability

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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