Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon on May 12, 2005. Less than 10 months later, he returned to the court on Friday, March 6, when the Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks. 

Tatum was expected to be on a minutes restriction in his first game back from injury but still started against Dallas. He provides a boost to the Boston squad, which is 41-21 on the year—good for first in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Detroit Pistons (45-16).

Here’s a look at how the Celtics star performed in his return to the court.

SN’s NBA HQ: Scores | Schedule | Standings

Jayson Tatum stats today

Stats are accurate as of halftime.

  • Minutes: 14
  • Points: 5
  • Rebounds: 5
  • Assists: 5
  • Turnovers: 1
  • Steals: 0
  • Blocks: 0
  • Fouls: 2
  • FG: 2-8
  • 3FG: 1-4
  • FT: 0-0

Tatum has been alright getting his teammates involved, but he has struggled to find his shot from the floor. He began the game 0-6 overall and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Tatum finally scored with about one minute left in the first half, and quickly followed it up with his first three-pointer of the game. 

Halftime Score: Celtics 58, Mavericks 53

MORE: What to know about Dillon Brooks’ DUI arrest

Jayson Tatum highlights

Tatum heads to the court for pre-game warm-ups.

Tatum gets introduced for the first time this season.

The Celtics star gets on the box score with an assist in the first quarter. 

Tatum went for a dunk in the second quarter but showed he still has some rust to shake off. 

Here are Tatum’s first points back after his injury. 

Jayson Tatum injury details

Tatum tore his Achilles on May 12, 2025. The season-ending injury came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when the Celtics were facing the New York Knicks. There was only 2:58 left in the game when he went down with the non-contact injury. The Knicks would go on to win the series, but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, who eventually lost in the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

How old is Jayson Tatum

Tatum was born on March 3, 1998. He recently turned 28 years old and is playing in his ninth career season, all with Boston. 

Share this post

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up with the latest blog posts by staying updated. No spamming: we promise.
By clicking Sign Up you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.

Related posts