“Jayson Tatum responded to my criticism like a true professional”: Kendrick Perkins lauds the Celtics All-Star following his historic 53-point performance against Towns and Co.

A few days after Kendrick Perkins called out Jayson Tatum for his inability to stepping up for his team, the Boston star replied with a 50-burger.

On Friday night, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics hosted a Karl-Anthony Towns-led Minnesota Timberwolves at the TD Garden. Boston, who came off a close two-point victory in their previous game, clearly were the stronger side.

In what went on to be a nail-biting match, Boston managed to grab an incredible 145-136 overtime win. The high-scoring battle between the two teams saw a lot of players scoring in double-digits.

The narrative was all about Jayson Tatum for Boston at the end of the day. The 23-year-old recorded a double-double, with a career-high 53 points and 10 rebounds.

Kendrick Perkins had recently criticized the 2-Time All-Star for not being able to step up for his team. Tatum’s historic performance was a great reply to all his critics, amidst his underwhelming performances. Perkins gave credits to Jayson, lauding his outstanding game. Perkins tweeted:

“Called Jayson Tatum out about giving more and he didn’t get all sensitive and he heard me and responded like a true professional supposed to and had the best game of his young career…finishing with 53 spicy and 10 boards with W! Carry the hell on…”

Called Jayson Tatum out about giving more and he didn’t get all sensitive and he heard me and responded like a true professional supposed to and had the best game of his young career…finishing with 53 spicy and 10 boards with W! Carry the hell on…

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 10, 2021

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Jayson Tatum became the first Boston player since Larry Bird in 1985, to score 53+ points in a match

It was a historic night for the 6-foot-8 JT. At 22-years of age, he became the youngest-ever Celtics player with a 50-point game. He also became the first Celtics player in 35 years to record 53+ points as a Celtic, the last one to do it, Hall-Of-Famer Larry Bird in 1985.

Over the past couple of seasons, the 22-year-old Tatum has stepped up time and again for Boston. Alongside fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown, the team has handed over their leadership role to the two young guns.

Tatum is currently in the midst of the best season of his young career. He’s clearly been Boston’s go-to player since the last couple of years. Averaging an impressive 25.1 points, 7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, Tatum is having himself a career-high in all these major stats.

Also Read: “Now we’re struggling and I’m behind the times”: Warriors coach Steve Kerr criticizes himself amid the team’s struggles this season

After having a strong start to their 2020-2021 campaign, the Celtics now have fallen down in the charts. The former Eastern Conference Finals appeared team have a 27-26 record this season. Barely a .509 team, placing 7th in the East. With less than 20 games remaining for their regular season, the team would want to finish the season strong gaining a few places in their conference.