A Year After Devastating Injury, Jayson Tatum Leads Celtics To Game 3 Victory

BusinessSportsMoneyA Year After Devastating Injury, Jayson Tatum Leads Celtics To Game 3 VictoryByTim Casey,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tim Casey is a reporter who covers basketball and sports business.Follow AuthorApr 25, 2026, 12:11am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum plays during Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reservedAs Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum lay on the Madison Square Garden floor last May, he and his teammates and opponents knew something was seriously wrong. The next day, Tatum underwent surgery to repair his ruptured right Achilles tendon. With Tatum out, the Celtics lost that second round NBA playoff series to the New York Knicks. Many assumed this season would be a wash, too.Still, less than a year after his devastating injury, Tatum is back. And on Friday night, he had another vintage postseason performance, scoring 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-100, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first round series. The Celtics are ahead two games to one heading into Sunday’s Game 4 in Philadelphia.Tatum returned to action on March 6 and appeared in 16 regular season games, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 32.6 minutes per game and shooting 41.1% from the field and 32.9% on 3-pointers.In the playoffs, the Celtics are relying even more on Tatum, who is playing nearly 38 minutes per game. And he is delivering. On Friday, he was on the court for the entire fourth quarter and for a total of 42 minutes and 25 seconds, the most since Game 1 of last year’s Knicks series. Besides the 25 points Friday, Tatum finished with seven assists and just one turnover and m...