Jayson Tatum drops 36 points in win over Knicks

With Paul George out, the Rockets focused even more of their defensive attention on Tatum on Monday. While he finished one assist shy of a double-double, the Celtics star committed five turnovers and shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Tatum’s fantasy value has been elite through Boston’s first seven games, so managers don’t need to worry about his performance against the Rockets.

Tatum didn’t have his best day shooting the basketball, but his ability to get to the foul line paid off immensely. He made 15 of his 17 free-throw attempts, the second time in three games that the Celtics’ forward has scored at least 15 points on free throws. Add in the assists and blocks, and this was a solid end to the week for those rostering Tatum. Boston plays four games next week, starting with the Rockets on Monday.

Tatum has scored 23 points or more in each of his last four games, rebounding well after a quiet outing in Boston’s season opener. Against the Bulls, he scored 16 of his 26 points in the first half, shooting 7-of-11 from the field. Tatum cooled off after halftime, but it didn’t matter much as Boston had already built up a large lead. He’ll look to finish the week on a high when the Celtics face the Magic on Sunday.

The Celtics’ second game in as many nights was more dramatic than many expected, as they needed overtime and a Tatum pull-up at the buzzer to beat the Nets. He finished with an excellent stat line, shooting 50 percent from the field and committing no turnovers. Counting the postseason, this was Tatum’s first 40-point game since Game 4 of the Celtics’ 2025 second-round series against the Knicks (the game in which he was injured).

After dropping 36 points on Friday, Tatum’s scoring dipped a bit in this game. It was a slightly subpar shooting night, but he also didn’t need to score as much. Boston led by 30 points at the end of the third quarter, and the lineup that dominated the third quarter didn’t include Tatum, so he only played 28 minutes. They’ll take on the Nets on Tuesday, which will be the second night of this back-to-back. Tatum should be in for a better outing.

Tatum had a decent first half and entered the break with 11 points. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate any of that success after halftime. He shot 1-of-10 from the floor in the second half, which wasn’t enough for Boston to hold onto the big lead they took in the third quarter. It was a rough start to the year for him, though he was the primary playmaker for them. If he can continue to dish out the dimes like he did in this game, he could be in for a strong season, especially once the shooting percentage evens out.

The Celtics have one more preseason game, Friday night in Philadelphia, and Tatum’s Wednesday workload could mean he sits that one out. He played 29 minutes against Charlotte and led all scorers with 19 points. Tatum also recorded six assists, and Payton Pritchard was the only Celtic with more. Tatum has a first-round ADP in Yahoo drafts, and with good reason. As long as he stays healthy, JT should be an elite fantasy option in any league format.

The Celtics looked early on like a team with a lot of guys playing together for the first time before Tatum started to assert himself from a facilitating and scoring standpoint. Things turned around rather quickly afterwards as the new-look Tatum and Paul George combination seemed like a natural fit playing together on both ends of the floor. He also made sure to involve offseason acquisition Mitchell Robinson with a couple early pick-and-roll opportunities. It’s abundantly clear that this version of the Celtics has been built to revolve entirely around Tatum with an assortment of quality complementary pieces. The 28-year-old franchise cornerstone looks completely healthy after missing most of last year recovering from an Achilles injury and will be a top-five range pick in most fantasy drafts this fall.

After suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, Tatum surprised many by returning to action in early March. However, the Celtics star played only 16 games before a lingering left knee issue kept him out of Game 7 of Boston’s first-round series against Philadelphia. The good news is that Tatum spent most of his offseason getting “stronger and more explosive” instead of rehab, and he “feels great” going into training camp. That’s excellent news for the Celtics and for fantasy managers, who should look to select Tatum in the first round of standard league drafts.

Tatum’s left leg gave him trouble during Boston’s Game 6 loss to the 76ers, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was confident on Friday that the star forward would be available for Game 7. Added to the injury report early Saturday afternoon, Tatum is now officially out. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman are potential replacements in the starting lineup, with the former being the more likely choice due to what he brings to the table defensively.