On March 6, Jayson Tatum took the court for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon on May 12, 2025. Early in the second quarter of his return against the Dallas Mavericks, he split a double team at the top of the key, took off for the rim and bricked a dunk.
“It’s been 42 ½ weeks since I played in an NBA game, so just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything. I just kind of felt like I was a step off or moving too fast,” Tatum said that night. “I still got a long way to go, but this was a good step.”
On Sunday, a little more than six weeks later, Tatum took the court for his first playoff game since that fateful night against the New York Knicks. Late in the first quarter, he again split a double team and took off for the rim. This time, he threw down a powerful two-hand slam and let out a yell as the TD Garden crowd sprung to its feet.
The six-time All-Star may not be all the way back, but he’s significantly closer to his old self than he was six weeks ago. Tatum poured in 25 points on 9 of 17 from the field and added 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the Boston Celtics‘ 123-91 blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round series.
“Not too long ago, I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna be able to play this season, let alone get an opportunity to play in the playoffs,” Tatum said during his postgame interview on the ESPN broadcast. “Today was probably the most excited and relaxed and grateful I’ve been in my nine years of being in the playoffs. I’m just super happy to be able to be out here and play.”
The Celtics’ 32-point win was their largest playoff-opening victory in franchise history and their fifth 30-point playoff triumph over the 76ers, which is the most by any team against a single opponent in NBA history. Furthermore, Tatum now has 38 20-point, 10-rebound playoff games in his career, which is tied for third in Celtics history with Kevin McHale.
Most 20/10 playoff games in Celtics history
|
Larry Bird |
61 |
|
Bill Russell |
48 |
|
Jayson Tatum |
38 |
|
Kevin McHale |
38 |
In his return against the Mavericks in March, Tatum missed his first six shots and didn’t score until late in the first half. His quick start against the Sixers was yet another reminder that he’s much more comfortable these days and in a far better rhythm.
Tatum had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first quarter alone as the Celtics built a 15-point lead they would never relinquish. Tatum either scored or assisted on 19 of the Celtics’ points in the opening frame — more than the Sixers (18) managed as a team.
This was just one win for the Celtics against an overmatched first-round opponent, but it was an emphatic statement by the 2024 champions. After a heartbreaking end to last season and a series of offseason departures, everyone expected the Celtics to take a gap year. Instead, they’re the clear Eastern Conference favorite (+140, per FanDuel) and have the second-best title odds (+550).
If Tatum keeps playing like he did on Sunday, the Celtics just might raise another banner.
“It’s incredible,” Tatum said, of getting to make another playoff run alongside his long-time teammate Jaylen Brown, who put up 26 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals of his own in Game 1. “You never want to take things for granted. Just having another opportunity to share the court with him and my other teammates and compete for something bigger than ourselves — couldn’t be happier.”
