Jayson Tatum continued his comeback Sunday in Cleveland after delivering an emotional season debut in Boston two nights earlier, where fans welcomed him back following a 10-month recovery from Achilles surgery, Jay King of The Athletic writes.
Playing with a minutes restriction, Tatum contributed 20 points as the Celtics secured an impressive victory in a showdown between top Eastern Conference teams.
“The other day was such a big deal, and obviously, in a home game in the city of Boston, I had a lot of family in town,” Tatum said. “Today just kind of felt like getting back in the flow of things. And that felt good for me.”
He scored 12 points within the first seven minutes to help Boston seize early momentum.
Although his outside shot wasn’t falling, missing seven of nine attempts from three-point range, Tatum connected on a key late three with about two minutes remaining to stop Cleveland’s rally.
King noted that Boston had been performing strongly even during Tatum’s absence, owning the NBA’s best defensive rating and second-best net rating, and the Celtics have now claimed two wins since his return by an average of 15.5 points.
“I don’t think his game has gone anywhere,” Payton Pritchard said. “I’ve seen him working on it. I think it’s more now, after not playing in a while, you’ve just got to get your flow back. Like, one-on-one reads, stuff like that.”
After an emotional season debut, Jayson Tatum is relieved to be back and playing normal basketball again. Story: https://t.co/3fkxDGzIwP
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 11, 2026
