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Tatum drops career-high 53 as Celtics rally past T-Wolves in OT

Brian Babineau / National Basketball Association / Getty

Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 53 points as the Boston Celtics rallied in the second half for a 145-136 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The fourth-year forward shot 16-of-25 from the field, including 6-of-10 from deep, while also adding 10 boards and four assists. Tatum scored 37 of his points in the second half and overtime.

The 23-year-old is the first Celtics player to register at least 50 points and 10 rebounds in one game since Larry Bird in 1989, according to StatMuse.

Tatum is the youngest player in franchise history to reach the 50-point mark, and his single-game point total is the most by a Celtics player since Bird's team record of 60 in 1985, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

"Don't mistake his quiet demeanor for him not being a competitor. He is a competitor," head coach Brad Stevens said postgame, according to The Athletic's Jay King.

Tatum's previous career high in points was 41, which he accomplished on two occasions during the 2019-20 campaign.

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