Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum Atop MVP Ladder

NBA.com lists Tatum as the favorite to win the regular season honor

If the Miami Heat are going to split their two-game series against the Boston Celtics, they will have to stop forward Jayson Tatum. 

Tatum was recently the named the frontrunner to win the MVP award by NBA.com, meaning the task won't be easy. Here's what NBA.com writer Michael C. Wright had to say about Tatum. 

"Tatum showed he was king of the court as the Prince and Princess of Wales sat courtside Wednesday to watch him drill eight 3-pointers as part of a season-high 49 points in a win against the Miami Heat," Wright wrote. "The performance marked Tatum’s third 40-point game of the season as Boston’s top-rated offense powered the team’s fifth straight win. Tatum is the sixth player in NBA history to have multiple games with 45 points or more with 10 or more rebounds while only committing one turnover or fewer, joining the company of Anthony Davis (six such games), Michael Jordan (three), Antetokounmpo (three), Kobe Bryant (two) and Carmelo Anthony (two)."

Tatum is averaging 31.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season. The Celtics have won three straight against the Heat, dating to last year's Eastern Conference finals. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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