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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 19: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first half of the game against the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden on January 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Boston Celtics<\/a> dismantled the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> 133-101 on Friday night at Fiserv Forum. Six players scored in double figures. Jayson Tatum<\/a> finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists<\/a> in just three quarters of action. He needed just one more assist to complete back-to-back triple-doubles.<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown<\/a> and Tatum both sat the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand. Boston improved to 52-25 on the season with five regular season games remaining. The second seed in the Eastern Conference is secure. The postseason is approaching fast.<\/p>\n After the game, Tatum was asked about how he was feeling with 5 games left on the season.<\/p>\n Tatum Opens Up On Return<\/p>\n Tatum has played 13 games since returning from the torn Achilles that cost him almost a year. Each outing has brought him closer to feeling like himself. But the emotion behind what the playoffs mean to him this year caught attention.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s obviously the best time of the year for the NBA<\/a>,\u201d Tatum said<\/a>. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure if I was even gonna be able to be a part of the playoffs this year. So, just knowing I get that opportunity to play in the best time of the year is more than I can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a player who has been to the Finals, won a championship, and established himself as one of the best in the league. For him to admit he wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d be playing at all right now says everything about how difficult the recovery has been. It speaks on the uncertainty surrounding this Celtics team heading into the season.<\/p>\n With 5 games left and the Celtics holding the second seed in the East, Tatum is grateful he\u2019s going to be out there when it counts.<\/p>\n JAYSON TATUM IN HIS LAST 4 GAMES:<\/p>\n 23 PTS \u2013 11 REB \u2013 9 AST HE\u2019S BACK. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Tatum\u2019s Production Keeps Climbing<\/p>\n The numbers since his March 6 return tell the story of a player steadily rounding into form.<\/p>\n Tatum is averaging 21.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists<\/a> per game since coming back. Wednesday\u2019s 25-point, 18-rebound, 11-assist triple-double against Miami placed him alongside Larry Bird in the franchise record books. Friday\u2019s near triple-double in Milwaukee showed it was no fluke.<\/p>\n He has only missed two games since rejoining the lineup. The minutes are climbing. The burst is returning. Against the Bucks, Tatum orchestrated the offense with nine assists. The balanced attack showed what this team looks like when Tatum is facilitating at his best.<\/p>\n Two nights earlier in Miami, he and Brown combined for 68 points, 21 rebounds, and 18 assists in a 147-129 blowout that saw Boston set a franchise record with 53 first-quarter points. The partnership is producing at its highest level at exactly the right time.<\/p>\n GettyJayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n Celtics Playoff Picture Takes Shape<\/p>\n Every rotation player is available except Nikola Vucevic<\/a>, who continues to recover from a fractured right ring finger. His return appears close after participating in 3-on-3 work at Wednesday\u2019s shootaround.<\/p>\n Brown has carried the franchise through Tatum\u2019s absence, averaging 28.6 points per game<\/a> while building a legitimate case for All-NBA first team honors. His 43-point night in Miami followed by another strong outing in Milwaukee has him playing the best basketball of his career entering the postseason.<\/p>\n The Celtics have won nine of their last eleven games and head\u00a0back at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon for an Easter matchup against the Toronto Raptors<\/a>.<\/p>\n GettyJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n Final Word for the Celtics<\/p>\n The Achilles tear could have meant Tatum missed the entire season. The uncertainty was real.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s entering the playoffs healthy, productive, and grateful. He is not taking this moment for granted.<\/p>\n Tatum is back. The Celtics are rolling. The playoffs are almost here.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Celtics\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 19: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666778,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3775],"tags":[7,103,102,121,3871,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-697558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-milwaukee-bucks","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bucks","10":"tag-milwaukee","11":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","12":"tag-milwaukeebucks","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116346011094571183","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n25 PTS \u2013 18 REB \u2013 11 AST
\n32 PTS \u2013 8 AST \u2013 5 REB
\n26 PTS \u2013 12 REB \u2013 5 AST<\/p>\n![\"Celtics,](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2265357530_88ae8c-e1774264451656.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jayson](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/celtics-announce-major-injury-update-bucks.jpg\")
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