The Boston Celtics hit their fifth straight 50-win season in an electric victory headlined by star Jayson Tatum.
The Boston Celtics had doubters heading into their 2025-26 NBA campaign with star Jayson Tatum expected to be out for nearly the entire year with a right Achilles injury. Now that Tatum has returned to the lineup, the other stars around him that formed into stronger players in his absence continue to flourish, namely Jaylen Brown. And they clinched the playoffs yet again with a 50-win season, accomplished by beating the Charlotte Hornets 114-99. The win was the Celtics’ third straight, winning seven of their last eight contests, and their fifth straight 50-win season. It was one without Brown, who has missed two straight with left Achilles tendonitis.
That left a void for Tatum to step up in, and boy, did he deliver. While it’s been a slightly rocky return from his rehab earlier this month, as Tatum continues to find his rhythm, that was all erased by Sunday night’s performance. Not only did Tatum look back to form, but he hit a season-high 32 points that entered him in the history books. Tatum became the younger player in Celtics history to reach the 14,000-point threshold, passing Paul Pierce in his major achievement in Sunday’s 50th year of the season.
Here is the full story from Celtics Roundtable writer Tom Carroll on Tatum making his mark in the record books on a monumental night.
The win sends Boston to their 12th straight postseason, which extends their longest running streak in the league. It was a win that highlighted the importance of getting Tatum back, and that he’s back to playing at a high level in the 11 games since his return.