Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum returned to active play 298 days after picking up an Achilles injury in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.
Tatum played 27 minutes and scored 15 points to aid the Celtics clinch a 120-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks in front of a raucous crowd.
After scoring zero points on his first six shot attempts, Tatum settled into the game to add seven assists and 12 rebounds to his tally.
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Speaking after the game, Tatum reflected on his performance and the long journey he took to get back to playing meaningful basketball games.
“It’s been a long time coming just to get to this point. Nights and days I dreamed about this moment and anticipation, the crowd.”
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
“It’s been 42½ weeks since I played in an NBA game, so just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything.”
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I just kind of felt like I was a step off or moving too fast. But the game started to slow down as I just kind of relaxed a little bit. I still got a long way to go but this was a really good step” Tatum said according to ESPN.
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Celtics maintained their second placed rankings in the Eastern Conference standings with the win and take on the fourth ranked Cleveland Cavaliers next.
