There is no doubt that Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum of St. Louis, Missouri came up big when it mattered most on Tuesday. The 23-year-old delivered with a magnificent performance by scoring 50 points in the Celtics’ 118-100 win over the Washington Wizards in the 7-8 Eastern Conference Play-In game. By winning the contest, the Celtics grabbed the seventh seed and will now play the Brooklyn Nets in a highly anticipated first-round playoff series.
Tatum made 14 of 32 field-goal attempts, five of 12 three-point attempts, and all 17 free throws. He was a +25, and had eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal. This was the third time this season that Tatum reached the half-century mark in points for a single game. He previously had 53 points in a 145-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 9, and 60 points in a 143-140 win over the San Antonio Spurs on April 30.
The Wizards are not eliminated from the playoff picture with the loss. They will now play the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, with the winner facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. The Pacers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 in the 9-10 play-in game on Tuesday. The other Eastern Conference quarterfinal games have the Milwaukee Bucks playing the Miami Heat, and the New York Knicks playing the Atlanta Hawks.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Golden State Warriors in the 7-8 game on Wednesday, with the Memphis Grizzlies playing the San Antonio Spurs in the 9-10 game. Just like in the East, the winner of the 7-8 game will be the seventh seed, while the loser of the 7-8 game will play the winner of the 9-10 game for the eighth seed. The winner of the 7-8 game will play the Phoenix Suns. The eighth seed will play the Utah Jazz. The other two Western Conference first-round playoff matches have the Denver Nuggets playing the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Los Angeles Clippers playing the Dallas Mavericks.
