During the Celtics’ three game road trip coming out of the All-Star break, Jayson Tatum didn’t look like the player he had in the first half of the season. During that stretch he averaged 21 points per game – nine fewer than his season pace. He shots 36.7 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent from three. In Monday’s loss to the Knicks, he had one of his worst performances of the year then was dealt his first career ejection late in the game.
That set the stage for Wednesday night, when Tatum and the Celtics welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers to TD Garden to kick off a three-game homestand. The Cavs entered the game the fourth seed in the East. The game also featured a superstar matchup on national TV, with Tatum going head-to-head with Donovan Mitchell. Plus, the Celtics were 0-2 against Cleveland so far this year coming into the game.
With those stakes, Tatum delivered a bounce-back performance in a 117-113 Celtics win. He finished with a team-high 41 points, shooting 13 of-21 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three. On top of that, he got to the line 14 times, hitting 11 free throws. Tatum also flirted with a triple-double, coming away with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Tatum is just the third Celtics player to post a 41/11/8 stat line in franchise history, joining Larry Bird (he did it three times) and John Havlicek.
