Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are having career seasons, and that has powered the historic franchise to the top of the NBA standings with a 37-15 record.
Tatum and Brown played pivotal roles in the Celtics' 139-96 blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
Tatum scored 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including a 7-of-12 rate from 3-point range. Brown poured in 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting and a 7-of-12 rate from beyond the arc. Tatum and Brown played just 29 and 31 minutes, respectively, as Boston rested its starters for much of the second half.
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By scoring 25 or more points in the same game for the 27th time this season, this tandem made some NBA history against the Nets, as explained by ESPN Stats & Info in the tweet below:
That's a pretty impressive accomplishment for Tatum and Brown, especially when you consider all the high-scoring duos -- such as Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook, LeBron James/Kyrie Irving, etc. -- that have played over the last 25 years.
Tatum is averaging 31.1 points, and if he holds that pace, he'll be the first Celtics player ever to average 30 or more points per game for a full season. Brown is averaging a career-high 27 points per game. As a result, Brown and Tatum are one of just two pairs of teammates ranked inside the top 15 in points per game. The other duo in the top 15 is Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving of the Nets.
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Tatum was recently named a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Utah later this month. Brown almost certainly will join him as an All-Star reserve.