Tatum passes Kobe with impressive milestone in Game 3 rout of Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jayson Tatum bounced back in a big way Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum brought his A-game to New York, racking up 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to power the Boston Celtics’ 115-93 rout of the Knicks in Game 3 of their second-round series. And to top it all off, the 27-year-old surpassed his childhood idol in the NBA record books.
Tatum now has 2,892 career points in the playoffs, moving him past Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for the second-most playoff points all-time by a player age 27 or younger. Only LeBron James (3,275) scored more before his 28th birthday.
It’s a fitting milestone for Tatum, who idolized Bryant growing up and has called the late Hall of Famer his “hero.” But Tatum has broken plenty of his role model’s records in recent years; the Celtics star surpassed Kobe for the most playoff points for a player age 26 or younger during the 2024 NBA Finals.
Tatum received his fair share of criticism after Boston’s Game 1 and 2 losses to the Knicks, during which he shot 28.6 percent from the floor and 25 percent (5 for 20) from 3-point range. But Tatum set the tone from the jump in Game 3, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half alone and finishing 5 for 9 from deep while making his impact felt on both ends in the blowout win.
Tatum just played in his 120th postseason game, tied with Magic Johnson for the fourth-most in NBA history for a player age 27 or younger. He’s reached the playoffs in all eight of his NBA seasons and already won 15 of 22 possible series, including an NBA championship in 2024.
His body of work in both the regular season and the playoffs is undeniable, as evidenced by the milestones he reached prior to his 27th birthday in March:
Moving past Bryant is another feather in Tatum’s cap, but his focus will be on the present, as the Celtics still trail the Knicks 2-1 in this series ahead of Game 4 at MSG on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and NBC Sports Boston’s coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
Tatum passes Kobe with impressive milestone in Game 3 rout of Knicks
Another game, another playoff record for the Celtics star.
Jayson Tatum bounced back in a big way Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum brought his A-game to New York, racking up 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to power the Boston Celtics’ 115-93 rout of the Knicks in Game 3 of their second-round series. And to top it all off, the 27-year-old surpassed his childhood idol in the NBA record books.
Tatum now has 2,892 career points in the playoffs, moving him past Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for the second-most playoff points all-time by a player age 27 or younger. Only LeBron James (3,275) scored more before his 28th birthday.
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It’s a fitting milestone for Tatum, who idolized Bryant growing up and has called the late Hall of Famer his “hero.” But Tatum has broken plenty of his role model’s records in recent years; the Celtics star surpassed Kobe for the most playoff points for a player age 26 or younger during the 2024 NBA Finals.
Tatum received his fair share of criticism after Boston’s Game 1 and 2 losses to the Knicks, during which he shot 28.6 percent from the floor and 25 percent (5 for 20) from 3-point range. But Tatum set the tone from the jump in Game 3, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half alone and finishing 5 for 9 from deep while making his impact felt on both ends in the blowout win.
Tatum just played in his 120th postseason game, tied with Magic Johnson for the fourth-most in NBA history for a player age 27 or younger. He’s reached the playoffs in all eight of his NBA seasons and already won 15 of 22 possible series, including an NBA championship in 2024.
His body of work in both the regular season and the playoffs is undeniable, as evidenced by the milestones he reached prior to his 27th birthday in March:
Moving past Bryant is another feather in Tatum’s cap, but his focus will be on the present, as the Celtics still trail the Knicks 2-1 in this series ahead of Game 4 at MSG on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and NBC Sports Boston’s coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
