Celtics star Tatum filled with 'gratitude' in his return to court

BOSTON (AP) — There were times when Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum wasn't sure if he'd make it back to the game that was abruptly taken away from him last season. It made every moment he experienced in his return as special as any he's had so far in his basketball career. His homecoming at TD Garden on Friday night, a 120-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks marked his season debut almost 10 months after surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. "I had a real sense of gratitude," Tatum said. "Just being back on the floor and playing basketball again. It just kind of brought me back to everything I've been through the last 10 months, and the fact that I was able to even be out there today was a really big win for me." It also was a reminder — to everyone — that the player who helped bring Boston a 2024 NBA championship and has five All-NBA and eight All-Star selections, will need time before he's fully back to being himself. Tatum had 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists in an at times rusty 27 minutes. He played in five- and six-minute spurts in his first game since suffering the injury in during Game 4 of Boston's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to New York in May. Tatum, who turned 28 this week, said his return to the court would be a home game. He made good on that promise. He missed his first six shots, but also made five straight at one point. "Nights and days I dreamed abut this moment," Tatum said. "The anticipation. The crowd. It's been 42 1/2 weeks since I played an NBA game. Just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything.. I felt like maybe I was a step off or maybe too fast. But the game started to slow down once I started moving around a little bit." Tatum missed his first shot the night, misfiring a jumper off the back of the rim on Boston's second trip down the floor. He'd make his first contribution to the stat sheet on the Celtics' next possession — an assist on a alley-oop to big man Neemias Queta. Tatum airballed his second field goal attempt of the game – a 26-footer from the top of the key – before heading to the bench for his first rest. Late in the first quarter Tatum briefly left the court with trainer Nick Sang. But he returned to the bench in time to re-enter the lineup for the start of the second period. Even with the uneven start, he continued to look for his teammates, adding another assist and actively screening to initiate the offense. "He came on the other side of this a better person, and I know better player. That's all you can ask for," Celtics coach Mazzulla said. Fans rose to their feet in anticipation after Tatum got open and had a clean look at a dunk. He got hung up on the rim, though, a mishap he chuckled about a few minutes later as he jogged off the court during a timeout. His scoreless streak was finally broken with 1:11 left before halftime when he glided in for a putback dunk off Payton Pritchard's missed 3-pointer. After a Dallas miss, he followed that up by splashing a corner 3-pointer. Several Mavericks players took moments during breaks in the game to welcome Tatum back. They included Klay Thompson, who gave Tatum a hug prior to the start of the second quarter. Thompson tore his Achilles tendon in 2020 while rehabbing from an ACL tear in 2019. Mazzulla said Tatum' return has been building for weeks. "From Day 1 it's just been a constant conversation," Mazzulla said. "Throughout the process you've just trusted this journey. I give him credit. We always knew he was coming back this year." Tatum, who had surgery May 13, made his return to the court after 298 days. The Celtics have 19 games remaining in the regular season, including 11 at TD Garden to try to ramp up Tatum for what they hope will e a deep playoff run. Boston is second in the East. "I don't think that any athlete thinks that they're ever going to bet hurt. At least, I didn't," Tatum said. "When it happened, it knocked me on my (butt). It just kind of made my rethink a lot of things. I had an idea in the direction my career was going to go., and in one night it changed. ... The things I want to accomplish are still in front me. "I'm really just kind of happy that I even got this far." ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba