Celtics post one of NBA’s best offensive performances as they await Jayson Tatum’s possible return
BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams since returning from the All-Star break.
They can add one of the best offensive performances in league history to their list of accomplishments as they await a possible return of star Jayson Tatum to action.
Boston shot a season-high 66.7% (52 of 78) from the field in their 148-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. It was the second-best field goal percentage in team history, falling just short of the 67.9% they shot against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 21, 1984.
The Celtics also shot 64.7% from the 3-point line Friday, which equated to an 80.8% effective field goal percentage – the highest in NBA history. Effective field goal percentage measures shooting efficiency by adjusting for the fact that 3-pointers are worth more than two-point shots
All-Star Jaylen Brown led the way, finishing with 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. But he got plenty of support from his teammates, with trade deadline acquisition Nikola Vucevic adding 28 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double as a member of the Celtics.
“I thought we just did a good job reading the game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought we made the right reads throughout most of the entire game. I thought tonight Vooch really looked comfortable in his offensive reads and his offensive screening. He unlocked a lot of stuff for us.”
All 13 Celtics players scored in the game, with Boston committing only three turnovers after halftime.
Boston, winners of five of its six games since the All-Star break, will now wait to see if Sunday night’s home matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers will mark the return of Tatum.
The game, originally scheduled to be played earlier in the day, was moved by NBC into an 8 p.m. primetime slot, creating speculation it could signal Tatum’s plan to return.
It’s been 41 weeks since Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon last May in the waning minutes of the Celtics’ loss to the New Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics are required by the NBA to release an initial injury report by 5:00 p.m. EST on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s home game against the 76ers.
After practicing with the Celtics’ G League team two weeks ago, Tatum said he hadn’t yet made a decision of whether he’d return.
“It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not, it’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step,” Tatum said. “I don’t know percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better everyday. I just try to focus on that.”
Tatum said in the same interview that he is also mindful of not wanting to disrupt the progress of a Celtics team that at 39-20 currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
’I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well,” Tatum said.
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