Jayson Tatum put the short-handed Celtics on his again to guide Boston to a 118-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Regardless of lacking Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis by harm, the Celtics prevailed on the street to file a 3rd straight win over the Timberwolves.
Led by Tatum’s 33 factors, eight rebounds, 9 assists and three steals, the reigning champions moved to inside four-and-a-half video games of the Japanese Convention-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
This marked his a hundred and fiftieth profession recreation with at the very least 30 factors which ranks fourth in franchise historical past, behind solely Larry Hen, Paul Pierce and John Havlicek.
Tatum, 26, is main Boston in factors, rebounds, assists and three-pointers made per recreation this season however as per the finest on-line sportsbooks, he stays a distant +2500 likelihood to win MVP.
The five-time All-Star continues to ship in abundance with excessive utilization, averaging 36.1 factors a recreation in his profession when making an attempt 25 or extra pictures in a recreation with a file of 42-18 on 60% TS.
Earlier on Thursday, it was introduced that Tatum is the third-biggest vote getter within the league for the upcoming All-Star recreation – along with his tally of virtually 1.4 million trumped by solely Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.7m) and Nikola Jokic (1.42m).
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed postgame that Tatum had demanded the task of guarding Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards, who completed up with a measly 15 factors on 5/16 taking pictures from the sphere.
WATCH: Jayson Tatum highlights vs Minnesota Timberwolves
TATUM WAS IN HIS BAG TONIGHT 🙌
☘️ 33 PTS
☘️ 9 AST
☘️ 8 REB
☘️ 6 3PM
☘️ 3 STL@celtics transfer to 25-9 on the season! pic.twitter.com/Ollp4x4JKk— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2025
Celtics stay outright favorites to go back-to-back
If the Celtics can justify market favoritism, they’ll turn out to be the primary back-to-back victors for the reason that Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
In Minnesota, Boston performed their Fifteenth-straight recreation the place they didn’t have every of their top-eight gamers out there for choice – so that gives some clarification to the marginally underwhelming 25-9 begin.
That being mentioned, the Celtics stay on tempo for 61 wins this 12 months and it’d be a shock to see them fail to catch the Cavaliers by the top of the common season.
