Tatum leads Celtics start

Jayson Tatum opened Boston’s playoffs with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and the Celtics beat Philadelphia 123-91 in Game 1 on April 19. (nba.com) Tatum was playing his first postseason game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon last season and said he is “still rehabbing” after surgery last May. Boston never trailed, led by as many as 35, and got 26 points from Jaylen Brown. (nba.com) The Celtics hit 16 three-pointers, used 12 players and held Tyrese Maxey to 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Philadelphia shot 4 of 23 from three and trailed 64-46 at halftime, its largest playoff halftime deficit against Boston since 1982. (nba.com) Boston entered the series as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the opener reinforced how much its ceiling depends on Tatum looking like himself again. The National Basketball Association’s series page lists Tatum as Boston’s leader after one game at 25.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. (nba.com) The matchup also turned on Philadelphia’s missing center. Joel Embiid did not play because he is recovering from an appendectomy on April 9, and the league’s Game 1 recap said his status for the series remained uncertain. (nba.com) Sports Illustrated put Tatum on its opening-weekend winners list after Boston’s Game 1, while USA Today wrote that he “shined in his playoff return” as it grouped the Celtics with the early winners of the first round. (si.com) (usatoday.com) The National Basketball Association’s own takeaway from the game was similar: Boston delivered a dose of “Celtics basketball” and looked like a team trying to get back to the Finals two years after its championship. The same recap noted that one game is only one game, but Philadelphia had “no response” after falling behind. (nba.com) Game 2 is set for Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. Eastern in Boston. If Tatum gives the Celtics another line close to his Game 1 return, the conversation around Boston’s start will keep sounding the same. (nba.com)