Former NBA champion lauds Jayson Tatum for 39-point effort in win over Memphis: “Walked into Memphis crib tonight with muddy shoes… Left his damn door prints”

Kendrick Perkins celebrated Jayson Tatum's 39-point effort, which carried the Boston Celtics to a 109-106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Perkins used another unusual analogy while tweeting about Tatum's performance, saying:

"Jayson Tatum walked into Memphis crib tonight with muddy shoes and didn’t take them off at the front door! Left his damn door prints all in that damn arena tonight with that 39 piece wing dinner… Lemon Pepper style! Carry the hell on…"

Tatum came up big for the Celtics at every juncture. He dropped 25 points in the first half, 19 coming in the second quarter alone. Boston were down by six at the end of the first, so the three-time All-Star's contribution during that stretch was much-needed.

The Celtics outscored the Grizzlies 37-20 in the final 12 minutes before the break to take an 11-point lead. Memphis stormed back into the game in the opening quarter of the second half behind Ja Morant's 14-point effort during that frame. He went five of six from the floor, including two of two from 3-point range.

The Memphis Grizzlies entered the final frame with a one-point lead. It was a neck-and-neck contest, but Jayson Tatum managed to keep the Boston Celtics in the hunt for a win. Tatum hit two clutch free throws with the Celtics up by one, with three seconds left on the game clock, helping the 17-time champions seal a 109-106 win.

The 24-year-old was aggressive in his approach. He attempted 25 shots on the night and made 16 trips to the foul line. Tatum outdueled fellow MVP candidate Ja Morant, who scored 30 points on the night and helped the Celtics improve to 7-3 for the year.

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Jayson Tatum strengthens MVP case with another massive performance

Jayson Tatum has strengthened his case as an MVP candidate this year with every game. The Boston Celtics forward is averaging 30.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting on 50/36/89 splits. Tatum has made significant strides over the last two years and is coming into his own as a top-tier superstar this season.

He failed to step up in the Celtics' finals series last year, and he seems to be using that as motivation. Tatum is also stepping up as a leader for the Celtics. Boston will benefit from it moving forward as he is still 24 years of age.

The Boston Celtics could have a challenging year with the Eastern Conference looking stronger than ever. With multiple teams capable of making an NBA Finals run, the Celtics will need Jayson Tatum to sustain his good start and guide them to the Eastern Conference title again.