Boston forward Jayson Tatum logged a season-high 35 minutes—playing the entire fourth quarter—in the Celtics’ Wednesday win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Appearing in just his ninth game of the 2025/26 campaign after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Tatum delivered 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, five turnovers and three steals.
“It definitely feels different,” Tatum said postgame. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in certain moments … each game I kind of surprise myself with encouraging things.”
Raptors
Toronto will be without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley for a third straight game on Friday against New Orleans. The 26-year-old continues to nurse plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Rookie guard Jamal Shead has opened the past two contests in Quickley’s place.
Second-year wing JaKobe Walter has surged since the All-Star break, hitting 48.6% of his three-point attempts over 17 games while providing strong perimeter defense. “He’s shooting at an insane rate … and defensively, the things he’s doing every single night with steals and deflections are important,” teammate RJ Barrett said.
Knicks
Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson, who fell out of New York’s rotation earlier in the season, has re-established himself over the past few weeks. In addition to his usual scoring punch off the bench, he has supplied playmaking and improved defense. “I know everybody wanted it to click immediately when I got here,” Clarkson noted. “I kept playing and figuring stuff out.”
The Knicks, Raptors and Celtics all continue jockeying for postseason positioning with fewer than four weeks left in the regular season.
Source: Hoops Rumors
