Jayson Tatum, 18 months removed from a torn Achilles, just dropped a 40-point buzzer-beater to snag a thrilling 125-124 overtime win for the Boston Celtics against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. He wasn’t just clutch, he said he’s “really starting to feel like my old self” again, and that should send shivers down spines across the league.
Tatum’s Historic Night Puts the League On Notice
This wasn’t just any game-winner, this was vintage Tatum. With 2.3 seconds left in overtime, everybody in TD Garden knew the ball was headed his way after a wild decision by Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. to take a contested layup instead of getting fouled. Tatum took the inbound from Derrick White, spun left, took two dribbles, and rose up for a wide-open free-throw line jumper that hit nothing but net. That’s his seventh game-winning shot with three or fewer seconds remaining in the 2020s, the most by any player this decade. The dude finished with 40 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, shooting 10-of-20 from the field. He also made a career-high 18 free throws and, get this, didn’t commit a single turnover. His new teammate Paul George summed it up perfectly: “We got the ball to the MVP, and he took us home.”
The Comeback Is Real
Eighteen months is a long time to recover from a torn Achilles, and Tatum’s words about “progress and how I’m moving” really hit different after a performance like that. He said there are “little moments throughout the game where I do something, and it’s not always with the ball, where I’m like, ‘Ooh, it’s coming back to me and I’m really starting to feel like my old self.’” This was his 30th career 40-point game, tying him for second in Celtics history behind the legend Larry Bird, who had 47. Even more insane, this was his fourth 40-point game without a turnover. Every other player in Celtics history combined has only four such games. “It was a hell of a feeling, just kind of getting back to doing things that I used to do before I was injured and sharing that moment with my teammates on the court,” Tatum said after the game. You could feel the emotion through the screen, seeing his teammates rally and get excited for him.
Early Season Roller Coaster, But The Engine Is Purring
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Tatum this season. The first week was a bit of a roller coaster, starting with a rough 6-of-23 shooting night in the Celtics’ season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, where they blew a 22-point lead. He’s also been dealing with some off-court drama surrounding his relationship with former teammate Jaylen Brown. But forget that noise, because on the court, Tatum has been absolutely terrific since that first game. He’s looking more than capable of carrying this new-look Celtics squad, including dropping 36 points in another contest earlier in the season. With him feeling like “my old self” and hitting clutch shots, the Celtics are surely looking forward to what’s next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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