Jayson Tatum’s much-anticipated Celtics comeback exceeds lofty expectations

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Jayson Tatum’s much-anticipated Celtics comeback exceeds lofty expectations

Matt Vautour · MassLive

Sat, Mar 7, 2026 ·

4 min read

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BOSTON — When Payton Pritchard ’s 3-point try kicked off the rim late in the second quarter, Jayson Tatum just reacted.

The sluggish rebound hung close to the rim, so the Celtics forward leaped up and dunked it with 1:16 left in the half. After missing his first six shots, Tatum was on the scoresheet.

He hung on the rim for a second, savoring the moment. But after Cooper Flagg scored at the other end, Pritchard pushed the ball quickly up the floor again.

Tatum darted to the corner and called for the ball.

Until that moment, Tatum had been tentative, out of rhythm after 10 months on the shelf with a ruptured Achilles. He air-balled a jumper and missed a dunk at the rim. He looked unsure whether to shoot or pass. Lead or defer. He was both a superstar eager to get back to form and a teammate, who didn’t want to break up the good thing the Celtics have built without him this season.

“I just felt really anxious. It was a long time coming just to get to this point,” he said. “For nights and days, I dreamed about this moment. The anticipation. The crowd. It’s been 42-and-a-half weeks since I played in an NBA game. I just felt like I was a step off or moving too fast.”

But after that dunk, whatever rust had built up on his legs and his psyche seemed to crack and crumble away. Tatum caught the pass from Pritchard in rhythm and elevated. The 19,156 fans leaned forward in unison as the shot went up. As it splashed through, the building roared, even louder than when he was announced last in the starting lineup.

The fans had been waiting for this. It had been building, since the start of the game. Since the start of the season. Since he was helped off the court with the injury 10 months ago.

Friday night would have still been cause for celebration even if his whole game had been like his first 13 minutes. He didn’t have to make shots. Taking them was a step. Just getting back on the court was a win and something to build off of.

But he did make them. After that 3-pointer, Tatum wasn’t hesitant anymore. His body language brightened and he played like Jayson Tatum. He had 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 27:10. With a longer leash in a closer game, he might have had a triple double.

He was not only part of the team, but part of why the Celtics blew out the Mavericks . The crowd and the atmosphere for his return lived up to expectations. Tatum’s play exceeded them. In the second half, it was even hard to tell he’d been hurt.

“The game started to slow down as I relaxed a little bit,” he said.

His 16-foot fadeaway with 9:33 left gave the Celtics a 62-61 lead. They never trailed again.

With 6:51 left in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown fed him in the right corner and Tatum knocked down another 3 to make it 106-87. He turned and blew a kiss to the crowd, which roared again.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum blows a kiss to fans after making a 3-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP

Shortly after, with 5:01 left and the Celtics up 112-87, Joe Mazzulla sent Baylor Scheierman to check in for Tatum, giving his star a curtain call. He smiled as the crowd gave him one more ovation chanting “J-T, J-T!”

The Celtics had been playing like a contender in the Eastern Conference without him. Now they have five weeks to figure out how to best add Tatum’s talents to the mix.

There are obviously still questions:

How will his body feel on Saturday? How will he feel after the grind of travel and multiple games? Those are all real questions and they’re important.

But they can be answered later. On Friday, Tatum was just appreciating the moment.

“I had a real sense of gratitude just to be playing basketball again,” he said. “This was a huge step. But I still have a long way to go.”

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