BOSTON — Jayson Tatum crossed over and turned downhill, with nothing but daylight between him and the rim. The first six minutes of Tatum’s return to the Celtics’ lineup against Dallas on Friday had been rocky. One jumper was long, another missed everything. The rust from a 298-day layoff was hard to shake. But here he was, early in the second quarter, with a clear path to his first points of this NBA season. He took two steps, rose up … and muffed it, pushing the ball off the rim.
For Tatum, it was an awkward moment. And it was the last. Minutes later, Tatum dunked home a Payton Pritchard miss. On the next possession, he knocked down a stepback three. He scored seven points in the third quarter, helping Boston build a double-digit lead. After missing his first six shots, Tatum made six of his next 10. In 27 minutes, Tatum collected 15 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, powering Boston to a 120–100 win.
