Boston Celtics fans were delighted to see the return of Jayson Tatum to the lineup in Sunday’s win over the Washington Wizards.
Tatum records double-double on return, leading all scorers in Washington
Tatum’s game-high 28 points saw the Celtics grab their second consecutive victory and move to within a game of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The 26-year-old, renowned for his impressive durability, had missed two of Boston’s previous four games in uncharacteristic fashion with a knee injury.
Described as ‘right knee tendinopathy’ by the team, Tatum took eight days off before Sunday’s win in Washington and following a cold shooting start, he grew into the game nicely.
After the final buzzer in DC, Tatum told reporters in the locker room:
“Feeling good. A couple days off helped, for sure. And it’s just something that kind of comes and goes. Something I’ve dealt with before that, you know, I’ll be fine.”
Jayson Tatum off the bounce 💥
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Tatum surpasses Anthony Davis to become 11th all-time leading scorer before turning 27
With 28 points on the night, Tatum moved into 11th place in the all-time leading scorers list before turning 27 – and he could still move up a few places before his birthday in March.
Tatum (12,528) is breathing down the necks of Devin Booker (12,720), Giannis Antetokounmpo (12,899), Michael Jordan (12,908) and Bob McAdoo (12,918) – and with 36 games left before he turns 28, another few overtakes are possible.
Assuming Tatum plays in all 36 games to go and maintains his average of 28.2 points a night, he could surpass Wilt Chamberlain (13,355) to become sixth on the list.
With a huge effort, he could potentially take fifth spot from Tracy McGrady (13,570). These numbers are a testament to the incredible production Tatum has given the Celtics ever since he entered the league in 2017.
According to the best online sportsbooks, the Celtics are favored to go back-to-back under Tatum’s wing and become the first repeat champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
