Tatum returns, scores 24 in Celtics’ 119-103 win over Chicago

He started the game with seven straight points, and from there Jayson Tatum settled into that easy signature flow.

After missing five games to COVID-19 isolation following a positive test, and having the benefit of only one full practice, the Celtics star was ready to carry the load again in a 119-103 win over Chicago.

Tatum finished with 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting and five assists in a team-high 31 minutes. Jaylen Brown, who has held the offense together in Tatum’s absence, averaging 29.4 points in that five-game stretch, initially took a seat early with 26 points in 29 minutes.

That much was understandable, one night after Brown scored an NBA record 33 points in 19 minutes, though when Chicago responded with an 11-0 run to cut the Celtics lead to 10 points, Brown and Marcus Smart were sent back in.

A 91-76 lead in hand at the start of the fourth, Tatum started the quarter with a mixture of vets and young players, including Jeff Teague, Robert Williams and the rookie shooter, Aaron Nesmith.

The latter got beat on a back cut that sliced the Celtics lead to 11 points, and the next time down Lauri Markkanen’s put-back cut the edge to nine, until Javonte Green hit from downtown.

Tatum followed with his third trey of the night for his 22nd point and a 15-point lead. Teague boosted it to 102-85 with a drive, Tatum followed with a tough drive, and now the Celtics led by 19 with a hair under seven minutes left.

Smart’s 10-point performance led the Celtics into the half with a 60-50 lead. They came back out with a 7-0 run that was capped when Smart hit Brown with a behind-the-back pass for a deep 3-pointer and a 67-50 edge, prompting a quick timeout from Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

The Bulls came out of that timeout with a Thaddeus Young air ball, and Theis extended the run to 9-0.

Tatum pushed the burst to 14-2 with a 3-pointer for a 74-52 lead.

Chicago had cut that 22-point Celtics edge to 12 when Brown, first with a 3-pointer off a Theis kick-out and then a foul line jumper, gave his team some traction.

The Celtics carried a 91-76 lead into the fourth.

Tatum’s impact was immediate from the start. Smart opened scoring, but Tatum followed with the next seven Celtics points, before Brown took over, channeling the same kind of efficiency he put on display on Sunday night.

By the end of the first the Celtics led, 33-25, with Smart also off to a hot start with 10 points. Chicago closed the gap early in the second quarter.

By the time Tatum checked out of his second stint, he had 11 points in 15 minutes, and the Celtics were toying with an eight-point lead. Brown took his place, and immediately kicked out to Nesmith for the rookie’s second straight 3-pointer.

With the Celtics back to defending well after a momentary lapse, Tatum checked back in for one last possession with nine seconds left, just on time to dish to Daniel Theis off a drive for a 60-50 halftime lead.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3a2lCWG