Boston Celtics Forward Jayson Tatum Explodes for 51 Points Against Charlotte Hornets

The Boston Celtics and forward Jayson Tatum showed they're a force to be reckoned with on Monday, dominating the Charlotte Hornets for a 130-118 win. Tatum scored a season-high 51 points on 15-23 shooting, adding nine rebounds and five assists.

The one and only 😤☘️ pic.twitter.com/5XL9ZS3bt4
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 16, 2023

The 50-point outburst was the seventh of Tatum's career and his fifth in the regular season, passing Larry Bird for most all-time by a Celtic. Tatum, it should be noted, is still only 24 years old.

With the win, the Celtic move to 33-12 and extend their lead in the Easter Conference to an impressive 4.5 games. They also sport the best record in the NBA overall. With 31.1 points per game, Tatum would have a great case for MVP in almost any year, but he'll have to contend with some truly transcendent seasons from players like Luka Doncic (33.8 ppg, 8.8 apg, and 9.0 rpg) and Nikola Jokic (24.7 ppg, 9.8 apg, 10.9 rpg) to take home the honors for the 2022-23 season.

The Celtics will return to Boston for a short break before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.