The Boston Celtics closed out their trip to Charlotte on Friday night with a 119-80 demolition of the Hornets in NBA Cup group play. Jayson Tatum led the way with 34 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, needing only three quarters of work before Mazzulla pulled his starters. The Celtics improved to 7-2 on the season.
Sunday brings a rematch with the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. The last time these two teams met, Tatum sat with rest and Payton Pritchard left with an eye abrasion. Boston still won, but the Celtics had to survive a 21-point collapse to get it done.
This time, the circumstances look different.
What the Celtics Announced
The Celtics released their injury report for Sunday’s game in Milwaukee. The update was straightforward.
No injuries to report.
Tatum is available after resting the last Bucks meeting. Pritchard is back after the eye abrasion that forced him out on Wednesday. The Celtics head into the rematch at full strength for the first time in over a week.
The timing matters. Tatum’s Friday night in Charlotte was his best shooting performance of the season. His three-point percentage sat at 22.9 heading into Friday. He knocked down five threes before halftime, finishing 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla saw something different in how the numbers arrived.
“Usually, to have the half that he had, it probably comes at the expense of some heat checks or bad shots,” Mazzulla said. “But I don’t think he took one in the first half, and I thought the game found him.”
Tatum Is Still Climbing
The 34-point performance was dominant. But Tatum made clear afterward that he is not where he wants to be yet.
Asked whether he feels fully healthy, Tatum did not hesitate.
“Hell no,” Tatum said. “I wish. I’m getting there, but no. How I felt before I got hurt was really, really good. I don’t feel too far, and again, I still only played less than 40 games since I’ve been back, so still in the quote-unquote rehab phase of returning to play.”
It has been less than a year since Tatum went down with the Achilles rupture. He returned late last season and played through the postseason on limited conditioning. He is still building back toward the version of himself that existed before the injury.
The encouraging part is what the numbers already show. Tatum is averaging over 27 points per game with six-plus assists in every appearance this season. If this is the rehab phase, the ceiling is significant.
“We’re gonna get there, though,” Tatum said.
Final Word for the Celtics
Milwaukee saw what the Celtics looked like without Tatum last Wednesday. Paul George and Derrick White carried the load and Boston survived. The Bucks nearly erased that 21-point deficit and briefly took the lead before the Celtics held on.
Now they get the full roster. Tatum coming off a 34-point night with his three-point shot finally falling. Pritchard healthy. No restrictions. No rest days.
Tatum says he is not back to his best yet. Friday suggested he is getting close. Sunday in Milwaukee will be another step.
Celtics Get Timely Injury Boost Ahead of Bucks Game