LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Jayson Tatum made a triumphant return from long-term injury as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-100 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Friday.
Tatum, making his first appearance since suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the playoffs last May, scored 15 points to help the Celtics secure a commanding win.
Boston’s packed TD Garden had risen as one to give the popular 28-year-old a rousing standing ovation as he took to the court for the first time in 298 days.
The six-time NBA All-Star looked apprehensive during a slow start but looked like his old self after bagging his first points late in the second quarter.
A two-point tip-in dunk got him off the mark, and he followed that up with a confident step-back three-pointer from the corner immediately afterwards to give the Celtics a 55-53 lead.
He added 10 more points in the second half as Boston pulled clear for a win which leaves the second-placed Celtics on 42-21 in the Eastern Conference, hard on the heels of the Detroit Pistons (45-16).