Tatum, in his first appearance since suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the playoffs last May, scored 15 points to help the Celtics secure a commanding victory.
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Boston’s packed TD Garden rose to give the popular 28-year-old a standing ovation as he walked onto the court for the first time in 298 days.
The six-time NBA All-Star looked apprehensive during a slow start, but looked like his old self after scoring his first points late in the second quarter.
A two-point dunk took him off the mark, and he followed up with a confident 3-pointer from the corner immediately afterward to give the Celtics a 55-53 lead.
He added 10 more points in the second half as Boston pulled away for a victory that leaves the second-ranked Celtics at 42-21 in the Eastern Conference, hot on the heels of the Detroit Pistons (45-16).
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“It was surreal, it was an emotional day,” Tatum told ESPN after the win. “I’ve dreamed about this for many days and it’s fantastic that it’s finally happening. And sharing it with my family, my teammates and the public was everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
Tatum admitted that during his long rehabilitation he had even wondered if he could return.
“It’s been hard,” he said. “Many times I doubted myself. Many nights were spent crying. But I tried to continue showing up every day and do my best. I still have a long way to go, but this is a big step for me.”
Tatum added that his teammates’ impressive form this season had motivated him to return.
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– ‘Lonely Rehabilitation’ –
“Being around these guys motivated me: the way they attacked the season, the way they competed together,” he said.
“Going through rehab is lonely, you feel isolated. You just can’t be out there. But being around them as much as possible made me feel like part of the group and that helped me a lot.”
Elsewhere, on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs delivered another spectacular performance with a 116-112 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
San Antonio, which had beaten the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday, appeared to be feeling the hangover from that victory as the Clippers took a 75-20 lead early in the third quarter.
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But French superstar Victor Wembanyama led an improbable second-half comeback that saw San Antonio inch ahead in the fourth quarter before snatching victory in the final seconds.
“This was like a statement to ourselves that any game can be won,” said Wembanyama, who led San Antonio’s scoring with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Wembanyama was backed by 20 points from Julian Champagnie and 19 from De’Aaron Fox.
In other games, the New York Knicks delivered a 39-point beating to the Denver Nuggets in Colorado.
OG Anunoby launched six 3-pointers to finish with 34 points in a 142-103 blowout. Nikola Jokic led Denver’s scoring with 38 points on an unforgettable night for the Nuggets, who saw Jamal Murray suffer an ankle injury in the second quarter.
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Nuggets coach David Adelman refused to blame Murray’s injury for the loss.
“That’s not why we got our butts kicked; it was because the guys just let it go like they weren’t competing, I would say from three minutes left in the third quarter to the end of the quarter,” Adelman said. “You have to give them credit: they played well and we stunk.”
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