Jayson Tatum is playing the best basketball of his post-Achilles return, and the Charlotte Hornets felt every bit of that elevated performance on Sunday night. The Boston Celtics cruised to a 114-99 victory that was never truly in doubt, with Tatum delivering 32 points on a brilliant 12-of-23 shooting night that included 5-of-10 from three-point range and 8 assists in one of his most complete performances since returning from his injury.
The Tatum who played Sunday night looked nothing like the player who was tentative and rebuilding confidence in the weeks immediately following his Achilles recovery. This was the Jayson Tatum who knows exactly what he is, who trusts his body completely, and who has the competitive IQ to read the game and exploit every defensive mistake with precision and consistency. His combination of scoring and playmaking, 32 and 8, is the kind of line that commands respect regardless of the opponent.
Payton Pritchard was equally exceptional off the bench, putting together a 28-point performance on 10-of-18 shooting and adding 6 assists as Boston’s offense clicked from multiple sources simultaneously. When the Celtics are getting that kind of production from two players at once, the task of defending them becomes essentially impossible for any team that lacks elite individual talent at multiple positions.
Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel had 13 points in the loss on a night where his shooting percentage was below his elite-season average, and LaMelo Ball contributed 19 points but turned the ball over 4 times in a game where Boston capitalized on every mistake with the efficiency of a team that knows exactly how to punish opponents at this stage of the season.
Boston at 47-24 keeps pace in the two-seed race with New York. The Celtics are rolling.
