The Boston Celtics' title defense is off to a great start with a 7-1 record entering Wednesday night's much-anticipated showdown versus the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden.
One of the reasons for Boston's hot start is Jayson Tatum's scoring prowess.
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The superstar forward led all players with 28 points on 10-for-21 shooting (6-for-14 from 3-point range) in the Celtics' 123-93 road win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
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Tatum now has 240 points scored on the season, which puts him at No. 1 on the NBA leaderboard.
1. Jayson Tatum, Celtics: 240 points
2. Anthony Davis, Lakers: 228
3. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: 207
4. Luka Doncic, Mavericks: 202
5. LaMelo Ball, Hornets: 200
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Tatum also has been red-hot offensively to begin games. He leads the league with 106 first quarter points, a total bolstered by the 16 points he scored in the first 12 minutes of Monday's victory against the Hawks.
No one else is even close to Tatum in first quarter scoring right now.
1. Jayson Tatum, Celtics: 106 first quarter points
2. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: 71
3. Anthony Davis, Lakers: 62
4. Damian Lillard, Bucks: 61
4. Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: 61
Overall, Tatum is averaging 30 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting, including a 35.5 percent rate on 3-pointers. He is the only Celtics player ever to average 30-plus points for a full season (2022-23), and he's on pace to do it a second time.
Tatum's impressive scoring has rocketed the Celtics to No. 1 in points scored at 123.6 per game. The Celtics also lead the league in first quarter scoring with 36.3 points per game. They are outscoring opponents by 7.5 points per game in the first quarter.
It's still very early in the season, but the Celtics' offensive outburst through eight games is an encouraging sign for this team's chances of repeating as champs. And it should be noted that star center Kristaps Porzingis, who can score 20-plus points per game himself, has yet to play as he continues to rehab a leg injury.
