Amid 'MVP' chants in Charlotte, Celtics' Tatum nets 51 points

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jayson Tatum knew he was sitting on 48 points entering the final minute of the Boston Celtics' Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday and briefly thought about backing the ball out and letting the clock run down with the outcome well in hand.

Then he remembered a text from Jamal Crawford earlier this season after Tatum refused to take a late shot against the Miami Heat and finished the game with 49 points.

"Jamal texted me after the game and he's like, 'If you're ever that close to 50, nobody is going to remember the time and score, they're just going to report if you got 50 or not,'" Tatum said. "That's what was going through my mind:…