Jayson Tatum averaged 30.1 points across 16 career road games against the Charlotte Hornets. It rose to 34 points on Friday night. The Celtics star put up a massive stat line while playing in just 30 minutes on the court. He hit every single one of his 11 free throw attempts to seal the deal. This performance capped off a blowout win where Boston outscored the Hornets 119 to 80.
Tatum is known for playing like an MVP when he travels to North Carolina. According to NESN, his final stats from Friday included 34 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. He did all of this in 5.2 fewer minutes than his usual average in the city. No other Celtic has ever posted that stat line while playing 30 minutes or less.
A Historic Night in North Carolina
The game started fast for Boston with a 40-20 lead after the first quarter. Tatum scored 18 points in that opening period on three three-pointers. Derrick White added 18 points for the Celtics as the team shot 17 of 31 from deep in the first half. The Hornets struggled mightily, shooting just 29.3 percent from the floor as a team. They missed 11 of 50 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
Brandon Miller exited the contest at the break due to soreness in his right groin and never came back. He had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting before the injury cut his night short. The Hornets fell to 0-2 in NBA Cup play after the loss. Their coach Charles Lee benched Naz Reid earlier in the season for not meeting team standards. Reid added 14 points in this game but the team could not keep up.
The Point Differential Edge
Boston held a +36 advantage when Tatum was on the floor during Friday’s contest. The large margin is important in the NBA Cup because point differential serves as a tiebreaker. Tatum remained in the game until the third quarter’s final minute, allowing the Celtics to increase that total. He drew “MVP!” chants from the pro-Celtics crowd after sinking a shot from 33 feet. Officials ruled the basket disallowed because the foul occurred on the floor before the shot.
Tatum’s fourth-highest scoring game with Boston happened in Charlotte a few seasons ago. He scored 51 points in that 2023 matchup against the Hornets. He has recorded four 30-point games in his first eight contests of the campaign. The team improved to 2-0 in NBA Cup play after the dominant performance.
On Sunday night, the Celtics travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks. The Hornets are set to host Cleveland on Monday night to try and end their losing streak.
