Celtics-Hornets takeaways: Tatum's ridiculous run continues

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The Boston Celtics earned their fourth consecutive victory Wednesday night as they topped the Charlotte Hornets, 115-101.

It wasn't smooth sailing for the first two-and-a-half quarters, but the Celtics flipped a switch midway through the third with a 32-12 run and didn't look back. Jayson Tatum followed up Sunday's 54-point performance with 44 points in the win. All five of the Celtics' starters scored in double figures, as did Derrick White with 11 points and eight assists off the bench.

P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 17 points apiece. LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier contributed 15 and 14, respectively.

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Here are a few immediate takeaways from the Celtics' win, which brings them to 40-27 on the season. Next, they'll head back home to take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum's ridiculous run continues

Tatum is doing everything he can to get his name into the NBA MVP conversation with 15 games remaining.

The 24-year-old superstar dropped 44 points -- 28 in the second half -- for his fourth consecutive game with at least 30. It's also the first time in his career he's scored 40+ points in two straight games.

Celtics Talk Podcast: Is Jayson Tatum an MVP candidate? Who gets the credit for Celtics' turnaround? | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube

But wait, there's more.

With Sunday's 54-point outing and his 44 points Wednesday night, Tatum ties Kevin McHale's Celtics record for most points in consecutive games (98). He trails only the great Larry Bird for most points by a Celtic in a four-game span. Bird tallied 174 in 1985, and Tatum has 168 over his last four games.

Tatum does have the most points in a three-game span, however, with 135. That tops the previous record set by -- you guessed it -- himself. He notched 128 points in a three-game span from April 28 of last season to May 2.

Robert Williams makes the most of his minutes

Robert Williams didn't see his usual workload as foul trouble limited the Celtics big man to only 20 minutes. You wouldn't know it by looking at the stat sheet though.

Williams brought down six offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone. He logged yet another double-double with 11 points and 11 boards while adding two blocks and a steal.

Williams currently has the fourth-best odds to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. His Celtics teammate Grant Williams made the case for Time Lord to take home the hardware, and at this point it's clear he deserves serious consideration.

Marcus Smart, Derrick White make winning plays

During his postgame press conference, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka made a point to highlight the contributions of Marcus Smart and Derrick White. Both C's guards were key to the victory with their unselfish play.

Smart, who has thrived in the starting point guard role this season, dished out nine assists. The longest-tenured Celtic has had at least nine assists in three consecutive games. A couple of those passes Wednesday night were something out of a video game.

He also had 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

As for White, he came off the bench and contributed 11 points with eight assists in 32 minutes. The Smart/White duo combined for 17 of the team's 30 assists and only one turnover. That right there is a recipe for success.

An Isaiah Thomas sighting

Wednesday's game took place in Charlotte, but there was no shortage of C's fans at Spectrum Center to give Isaiah Thomas a standing ovation when the beloved former Celtic entered the game.

Thomas ended up with five points (1-4 FG) and two assists in 11 minutes. Three of those points came from the free-throw line.

Wednesday marked Thomas' second game since signing a 10-day contract with the Hornets last week. He dropped 10 points in 14 minutes during his debut with Charlotte vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

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