Tatum Comfortable in Second Game Back as Celtics Top Cavaliers; Notes on Thompson, White and Vucevic
tatum-return-celtics-cavs-thompson-white-vucevic
Jayson Tatum’s comeback tour continued in Cleveland on Sunday, and the Boston forward said the atmosphere felt refreshingly routine after Friday’s emotional home return from a 10-month Achilles layoff.
Limited once again by a minutes cap, Tatum poured in 20 points during the Celtics’ decisive win over the Cavaliers, an early-season matchup of Eastern Conference hopefuls. He scored 12 of those points in the first seven minutes, helping Boston seize a quick advantage. Although he misfired on seven of nine attempts from beyond the arc, he buried a critical three-pointer with roughly two minutes remaining to blunt a late Cleveland surge.
“The other day was such a big deal, and obviously at home I had a lot of family in town,” Tatum said. “Today just kind of felt like getting back in the flow of things, and that felt good.”
Boston entered the contest owning the league’s top defensive rating and the second-best net rating without its franchise cornerstone. Including Sunday’s victory, the club has won both games since Tatum’s return by an average of 15.5 points.
“I don’t think his game has gone anywhere,” guard Payton Pritchard noted. “It’s just about getting the rhythm back — the one-on-one reads, stuff like that.”
Thompson’s Words of Wisdom
After Boston’s win over Dallas on Friday, Klay Thompson pulled Tatum aside to share advice drawn from his own experiences overcoming an ACL tear and a ruptured Achilles. “One of his messages was, ‘Man, just give yourself some grace,’” Tatum recounted Sunday. “He said he wished he had done that more. We’re elite competitors, we want it so bad, but I’m still on the road to recovery and this is just a phase of it.”
Atkinson Praises Derrick White
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson credited Derrick White for keeping Boston afloat during Tatum’s absence. “Derrick White — he’s a top-five player in this league,” Atkinson said, citing advanced metrics. “Jaylen Brown is obviously having a great year. Neemias Queta is analytically one of the top 30. They have a lot of talent even without Jayson.”
Mazzulla’s Advice for Vucevic
Speaking with reporters Sunday, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla offered guidance to Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who is expected to miss about a month with a fractured finger. “Just stay in shape,” Mazzulla said. “Do everything he can within the limitations. He does a great job in the film room studying. Just continue to do what he’s been doing — he’s a professional.”
The Celtics continue their road swing later this week as Tatum works toward a full workload and Boston looks to extend its strong early-season form.
Source: Hoops Rumors
