With their season on the brink, the Celtics needed their best players to rise to the occasion in Game 3 on Friday. All-Star Jayson Tatum proved more than able to answer the call.
Tatum proved too much for the Nets to handle, scoring 50 points on 16-for-30 shooting as the Celtics won Game 3, 125-119, in front of a raucous home crowd.
The signature performance made Tatum the sixth player in Celtics history to score 50 points in a playoff game. He was just four points shy of John Havlicek's franchise record of 54 points.
At 23 years and 86 days old, Tatum became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a postseason game, behind only Hall of Famers Rick Barry (23 years, 21 days) and Michael Jordan (23 years, 62 days).