CHICAGO — Jayson Tatum naiiled back-to-back 3s in the third quarter and a fullhouse TD Garden packed with 19,156 fans shook with excitement as echoes of MVP! MVP! chants bounced off the walls of the famed building.
The 24 year old forward has been on a roll, this time whipping up 49 points, 11 rebounds and 3 dimes as the Boston Celtics made quick work of the Miami Heat, 134-121.
Tatum has been on fire of late, capping the month of November with an average of 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game. That was the buzzsaw the Heat came across with Wednesday night against the best team in the NBA which logs an impressive 18-4 record.
“Spacing, ball movement, making the right play,” interim coach Joe Mazzulla replied when asked about how the Celtics have achieved success on the offensive side of the ball. And it seems like his formula is working.
The Celtics shot 55.4% from the field and 48.9% from beyond the arc and have scored 120 points or more in their last 5 games.
Tatum said that the fundamenal points of their offense revolves around this: Talking through things and implementing them in the game. Don’t stand in one spot. Don’t hold the ball for too long.”
Tatum wasn’t the only force the Heat had to deal with.
Jaylen Brown contributed 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists despite battling through a neck injury. Derrick White had 15 points and 5 assists while Marcus Smart added 10 points and 9 boards. Malcolm Brogdon chipped in 21 off the bench.
Bam Adebayo and Max Struss tallied 23 points each while Tyler Herro’s cotributed 22. But it wasn;t enough for a Heat team that shot a high 52.2 percent from the field (47 of 90) and 45 percent from 3 (18 of 40).
The Celtics have won five in a row and improved to 18 wins and four losses. They closed out November with a 14-2 record. They face the Heat in Boston again on Friday with the chance to improve their season record against them to 3-0.
