Jayson Tatum saved an otherwise ugly start to the NBA's play-in tournament experiment.
The 23-year-old Boston Celtics forward staked his claim to superstardom in Tuesday's nightcap, scoring 50 points in a 118-100 win to send the Washington Wizards to an elimination game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Tatum made fellow All-Stars Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook look like the junior varsity.
"Be the best player on the floor. That's what I told myself coming into this game," Tatum told TNT's national broadcast after his third 50-point game in 39 days set a high bar for the play-in record.