The Boston Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum looked impressive since his return from last postseason’s brutal injury, including leading his team to a rout of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs.
On Sunday evening, Boston visited Philly with Joel Embiid finally back in the lineup for the home team. However, that didn’t seem to help all that much, as the Celtics exerted their dominance, thanks to Tatum and his teammates, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard.
Tatum finished with 30 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, while Brown had 20, and Pritchard contributed 32 off the bench. That fueled a 128-96 blowout win and put the Celtics on track to advance with one more win on Tuesday in Boston.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the playoff bracket, Tatum witnessed an eerily familiar injury occur to the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Donte DiVincenzo. On Saturday, the Wolves’ guard landed awkwardly on his leg after a shot within the first minute of the game.
After being helped off the court and receiving medical imaging, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that DiVincenzo suffered a torn right Achilles tendon. That ended his season, something Tatum went through himself last postseason.
“I was definitely like sick to my stomach yesterday seeing him go down. I know exactly how he’s feeling, I know exactly what he has to go through. He has me in his corner, whether he gonna like it or not. So I’ll definitely reach out to him soon,” Tatum told reporters after the Celtics’ win.
The Timberwolves also find themselves ahead 3-1 in their series with the Denver Nuggets, but are facing a tough situation. In addition to losing DiVincenzo for the rest of the postseason, Anthony Edwards also suffered an injury and is likely to miss several weeks.
Minnesota faces the Nuggets at their home court on Monday night, with Nikola Jokic and company in a must-win game.
While DiVincenzo’s injury is disappointing news, having Tatum in his corner could be huge. Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last May during Boston’s Game 4 against the New York Knicks.
After surgery the day after his injury, Tatum began his rehabilitation and progressed quickly, returning to play 16 games for the Celtics this past regular season.
He was fortunate that Brown and teammates were playing at a high level without him, and now that Tatum is back, they’re playing even better. Boston is considered the odds-on favorite to reach the NBA Finals in the Eastern Conference and potentially contend with the reigning champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder.