TD Garden Crowd Goes Wild Watching Jayson Tatum Score His First Points After Achilles Tear
Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum made his highly anticipated season debut after an intense recovery from an ACL tear he suffered during last year’s playoffs. Many thought we wouldn’t see him on the court for the entire 2025-26 NBA season, but the 28-year-old forward silenced the skeptics with a remarkable comeback that electrified fans in his first game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Though he had a slow start and went scoreless for most of the first half, everything changed with just 1 minute and 19 seconds left in the second quarter.
Payton Pritchard took a shot from beyond the arc, but it bounced off the rim. Tatum, positioned perfectly near the basket, soared for a breathtaking dunk, marking his first points of the season.
Jayson Tatum scores his FIRST points and the TD Garden crowd goes nuts.
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 7, 2026
–@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/WRIBaEcJtX
The TD Garden erupted into cheers as the electrifying moment unfolded, with fans celebrating the return of their star player. The excitement did not stop there, as with just one minute left in the second quarter, Tatum nailed a three-pointer from the corner, keeping the hype at a peak throughout his play.
Tatum Weighs In After Long-Awaited Season Debut
Tatum played for 27 minutes in his season debut, scoring 15 points, seven assists, and 12 rebounds. Jaylen Brown also made a notable impact, scoring 24 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds. These strong efforts led the Celtics to a 120-100 win over the Mavericks. After the game, Tatum shared his feelings about his season debut.
“I just felt really anxious. It’s been a long time coming just to get to this point. Many nights and days, I dreamed about this moment. The anticipation. The crowd…It’s been 42.5 weeks since I played in an NBA game, so just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything.” Tatum said during the post-game interview.
"Many nights and days, I dreamed about this moment."
— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2026
JT on returning to the court for the first time since his major injury. https://t.co/d9xQAcXNAY pic.twitter.com/mxgih14Bbr
Although Tatum missed the majority of the 2025-26 NBA season, it was worth the wait in the end. Looking ahead, the Celtics will face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. However, before heading into the remaining games, a big question looms: Who will step up as the leader? Will it be Brown or Tatum?
TD Garden Crowd Goes Wild Watching Jayson Tatum Score His First Points After Achilles Tear
News Daily Reports
No comments: