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In a game of runs, it was the Celtics that eventually finished out the final stretch to beat the visiting Hawks 109-102 behind 36 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard and a 26-12-5 line from Jayson Tatum. Without Jaylen Brown (and Nikola Vucevic), Boston was able weather a Hawks’ 25-9 opening kick and a 26-14 run bridging the second and third quarter to push their record to 49-24 and end Atlanta’s three-game winning streak and adding a loss to their 14-2 record since February 22nd.
After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the week and a top-6 Eastern Conference team, the Celtics sit at +600 with our friends at FanDuel to win the 2026 Finals.
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Jayson Tatum
36 minutes, 26 points (2-8 from 3, 8-10 from the free throw line, 8-24 from the field), 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, +1
It wasn’t the most efficient night for Tatum, but you can see him slowly getting his legs and confidence back in Game #10. Where Tatum seems to be lacking is where you’d expect: finishing. Whether it’s getting lift on his pull-up 3s, rising around the rim, or changing direction on his drives, he doesn’t seem to have his twitchiness yet. To be honest, it might take another summer to get that back.
However, where he’s been consistent is in areas where he can use his size — Tatum seems a little stronger in his upper body, right? — and length to overpower defenders, rebound, and navigate the floor and find shooters with his passing.
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“I mean, I thought I saw his defensive rebounding. I thought that was the most important thing. Thought offensively, got into the paint, got to the, you know, was able to get to the free throw line, shoot ten free throws, just continuing to chip away at giving the game what it needs,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “He was aggressive in his drive, missed some easy layups there, but as long as he stays aggressive, as long he makes the right read, as long as he continues to rebound, he’s, you know, continuing to get better and better.”
The ball seemed a little sticky whenever JT got a matchup that he thought he could beat, but it’s important…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/hawks-vs-celtics-player-grades-082500411.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-28 08:25:00
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