Jayson Tatum sets new franchise record in win over Pacers

A 25-point victory over the Pacers came with more than just the Celtics’ 51st victory of the season Friday night at TD Garden.

It also included a new franchise record for the Green thanks to yet another big night from Jayson Tatum.

On the board with 34 points, the performance was the 25-year-old Tatum’s 40th effort of the season of at least 30 points, which broke him out of a tie with Larry Bird for the most in a single season in Celtics history. (Bird accomplished the feat in 1987-88, in case you’re curious.)

• Tatum got cooking early in this contest, too, with a first-quarter performance that included a team-high 13 points on a 6-for-9 start from the field. By halftime, Tatum was up to 21 points, with the next closest C’s scored at almost half of that (Jaylen Brown, with 12 points).

  Up by five at half, Tatum and the Celtics poured it on in the second half, and at one point held a 29-point edge, thanks to Tatum’s aforementioned 34-point outing, which came with makes on 13 of 24 total shots. Tatum also chimed in with seven rounds, two assists, and two steals in just over 32 minutes of work.

• The man's on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2ANOrKakeR

  — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 25, 2023

• Behind Tatum, Brown finished the night at the Celtics’ second leading scorer, with 27 points on 10-for-23 shooting, and with makes on three of his six attempts from beyond the arc.

  Boston’s three-point shooting provided some strong support around Tatum, too, as the C’s non-Tatum starters combined to shoot 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from deep range in the victory. Derrick White was the team’s top marksman on that front, with a 5-of-9 effort from three-point range.

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  Mar 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• The Celtics will get back to work Sunday evening when the San Antonio Spurs come to town for a 6 p.m. tipoff at the Garden. Tatum and the Celtics survived a late-game push from the young-and-hungry Spurs when these teams met in San Antonio back in January.