WATCH: Jayson Tatum sets NBA All-Star game points record with MVP performance
Jayson Tatum made his fourth appearance as an NBA All-Star count. The star of the Boston Celtics got things going in the third quarter and never stepped on his way to a record with 55 points as well as the game’s MVP award.
How he broke the record was anticlimactic as he did it at the free-throw line but, nonetheless, it was a stellar performance for Tatum in Salt Lake City.
Tatum cooked all game long as he shot 22-31 in 35 minutes. However, his third quarter, alongside Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was the highlight of the night. He scored 27 points in the quarter, another All-Star record, with seven of his ten makes from three on his night. As a whole, his performance helped Team Giannis to a 184-175 win over Team LeBron inside Vivint Arena.
This was just the latest scoring outburst from the almost-25 year old out of Duke. After tonight, he’s now the first player in league history with a 50-point game in the regular season, postseason, and All-Star Game.
Tatum had some of the best moments of the night between his scoring all while competing with and alongside several of the league’s stars. Still, he left no doubt as the weekend’s MVP which, for Celtic fans, will hopefully be a nice launching pad for him as they re-enter the regular season next week.
WATCH: Shaq leads crowd in ‘Happy Birthday’ for Charles Barkley
With Charles Barkley set to turn 60 on Monday, his Inside the NBA co-host Shaquille O’Neal helped him celebrate the birthday a day early with one of his favorite foods. Barkley was presented with a plate of doughnuts as well as a birthday cake with doughnuts designed in the frosting during the broadcast of Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game.
Not only that, but Shaq enthusiastically led the crowd in Salt Lake City in the singing of “Happy Birthday” to Barkley. The camera panned over the crowd to show former NBA stars Bill Walton and Joakim Noah singing along. You can view the moment below.