NBA roundup: Tatum 'emotional' return sparks Celtics victory over the Mavericks

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tatum-jayson/t4Y4e7r0/"]Tatum[/a], making his first appearance since suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the playoffs last May, scored 15 points to help the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Celtics[/a] secure a commanding win.[/p][p]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.[/p][p]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.[/p][p]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 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/dallas-mavericks-YouS3mEC/?mid=dKNUjBce"]55-53[/a] lead.[/p][embed guid="d1aea419-a21a-4c22-8e65-d4875577c5c4" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2030111252144324749?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]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 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-pistons/UcjMRj6J/"]Detroit Pistons[/a] (45-16).[/p][p][b]"It was surreal, it was an emotional day," [/b]Tatum told ESPN after the win. [b]"Many days I dreamed about this, and it's great to finally happen. And sharing it with my family, my teammates and the crowd was everything I ever dreamed of."[/b][/p][p]Tatum admitted that during a long, lonely rehab, he had even questioned whether he would be able to return.[/p][p][b]"It's been tough," [/b]he said.[b] "A lot of times, I doubted myself. A lot of nights I spent crying. But I just tried to keep showing up every day and put my best foot forward. I've still got a long way to go, but this is a huge step for me."[/b][/p][p]Tatum added that his teammates' impressive form this season had helped motivate him to return.[/p][p][b]"Being around these guys motivated me – the way they've attacked the season, the way they've competed together,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"Going through rehab is lonely; you kind of feel isolated. You just can't be out there. But being around them as much as I possibly could just still made me feel like I was part of the group and that helped me a lot."[/b][/p][embed guid="00872251-e7d6-4d07-b946-faf30a8e8347" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2030127645359321324?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Tatum was one part of a balanced Boston offensive performance in Friday's win. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brown-jaylen/l88NjhUb/"]Jaylen Brown[/a] led the Celtics scorers with 24 points, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/white-derrick/6ZkKkpYd/"]Derrick White[/a] added 20. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pritchard-payton/SWoc4GBt/"]Payton Pritchard[/a] also caught the eye with 18 points off the bench.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thompson-klay/pQUdN6bE/"]Klay Thompson[/a] led the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dallas-mavericks/YouS3mEC/"]Mavericks[/a]' scoring with 19 points off the bench, including five three-pointers.[/p][p]Elsewhere, Friday, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a] delivered another statement performance with a come-from-behind [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/los-angeles-clippers-vPeTYlqm/san-antonio-spurs-IwmkErSH/?mid=WxxD3ls1"]116-112[/a] victory over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-clippers/vPeTYlqm/"]Los Angeles Clippers[/a].[/p][p]San Antonio, who had beaten the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday, appeared to be feeling the hangover from that win as the Clippers raced into a 75-20 lead early in the third quarter.[/p][p]But French superstar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wembanyama-victor/jFmM1MFl/"]Victor Wembanyama[/a] led an improbable second-half fightback which saw San Antonio inch ahead in the fourth quarter before snatching victory in the closing seconds.[/p][embed guid="e055fdb7-1feb-4c34-8489-f79ac90c28eb" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2030178759349801096" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]This was like a statement to ourselves for sure, like any game is winnable[/b]," said Wembanyama, who led San Antonio’s scoring with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. [/p][p]Wembanyama was backed by 20 points from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/champagnie-julian/vuyUXnGn/"]Julian Champagnie[/a] and 19 from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fox-de-aaron/Ysw8Hl5J/"]De'Aaron Fox[/a].[/p][p]In other games, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-knicks/WCNO4nbt/"]New York Knicks[/a] dished out a 39-point walloping of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denver-nuggets/CxvW27TI/"]Denver Nuggets[/a] in Colorado. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anunoby-og-ogugua/jiNJMxEa/"]OG Anunoby[/a] launched six three-pointers to finish with 34 points in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/denver-nuggets-CxvW27TI/new-york-knicks-WCNO4nbt/?mid=t8cYAWlR"]142-103[/a] blowout.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jokic-nikola/dUHaiJ5n/"]Nikola Jokic[/a] topped the Denver scoring with 38 points on a night to forget for the Nuggets, who saw [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/murray-jamal/Ig5nQrEF/"]Jamal Murray[/a] suffer an ankle injury in the second quarter.[/p][p]Nuggets coach David Adelman refused to blame Murray's injury for the loss.[/p][embed guid="97161127-82a4-444d-86cf-116b0ab4045c" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2030144671272382487" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]That's not why we got our ass kicked; it was because guys just let go of it like they didn't compete, I'd say from three minutes to go in the third quarter to all the way in the fourth[/b]," Adelman said. [/p][p]"[b]Give them credit -- they played well, and we sucked[/b]."[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-lakers/ngegZ8bg/"]Los Angeles Lakers[/a] kept up their run of recent good form with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/indiana-pacers-YPohMUTt/los-angeles-lakers-ngegZ8bg/?mid=v3uL1SBD"]128-117[/a] blowout against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/indiana-pacers/YPohMUTt/"]Indiana Pacers[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doncic-luka/pQ4ZBK0o/"]Luka Doncic[/a]'s 44 points carried the Lakers to a victory, which leaves Los Angeles on 38-25 in sixth place in the Western Conference.[/p][embed guid="c24fc7e7-2186-4914-8378-ab369700ac0f" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2030165585632370757" social-type="twitter" /]