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Jayson Tatum praised traveling Celtics fans, explained why he doesn’t want to sit out games
"I donāt like to sit out."
Jayson Tatum’s thoughts on traveling Celtics fans: The Celtics breezed to a 130-104 win over the Wizards on Sunday. Despite being a road game played at the Capital One Arena, the crowd included a large number of Celtics fans.
Jayson Tatum, who scored 30 points in the win, was asked how he felt about Boston fans making the atmosphere like a home game.
“It was great,” said Tatum. “It’s becoming the norm a lot of places we go. You really appreciate the fans — how well we travel with our fanbase, the love and support that they show us everywhere we go.”
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One subject that will make Tatum popular with traveling fans is his continued aim to play in every game if he’s healthy. Despite recognizing the need to be fresh for the playoffs, Tatum indicated that he isn’t a fan of “load management.”
“I’ve been here seven years, they understand kind of what they’re dealing with,” Tatum said of his conversations with Celtics leadership regarding his rest.
“I don’t like to sit out,” he added. “I understand if I was injured or whatever, but I’ve said it before, I just love to play the game. Especially on the road — there’s so many fans out there with ‘Tatum 0’ jerseys on who came to see me play. So I kind of take pride in making sure I’m available as much as I can.”
Trivia: Other than UConn, what is the only other New England school to win a Div. 1 NCAA basketball tournament (either men’s or women’s editions)?
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(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: A future Celtics star (and Hall of Famer) was on the team’s roster.
Scores and schedules:
On Sunday, the Celtics defeated the Wizards 130-104. Boston will be back on the court tonight to play the Pistons at home at 7:30 p.m.
Also from Sunday, the Revolution lost to FC Cincinnati 2-1 at Gillette Stadium.
Tomorrow, the Bruins host the Senators at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- A bracket of Boston’s best sports uniforms
- Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum barrage Wizards with 3-pointers in blowout win: 7 takeaways
- 4 takeaways as the Revolution fall at home against FC Cincinnati
- Should Patriots trade down in the 2024 Draft? Weighing the pros and cons of a franchise-altering move
- NFL mock draft roundup: Will the Patriots stand pat at No. 3 following first week of free agency?
- Patriots reportedly sign WR K.J. Osborn to 1-year contract
- Celtics react to Sam Hauser’s near record-setting night
- Red Sox’ Jarren Duran opens up about defiant approach toward mental-health struggles
- The Hockey East tournament semifinals are set. See which four teams advanced to TD Garden.
- Watch: Ben Affleck suffers through Lakers-Warriors’ brutal 19-minute clock delay
- Former Celtics fan favorite Isaiah Thomas making NBA comeback, reportedly signing with Suns
- Smith can’t pull upset, beaten by untouchable NYU in Div. 3 women’s basketball title game
Bracket time: The NCAA revealed the full fields for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments on Selection Sunday (other brackets, including Boston.com’s look at the best local uniforms in history, are also up and running).
Here’s the bracket for the men’s tournament, with defending champion UConn listed as the top overall seed:
And here’s the women’s bracket, containing arguably the best of the current rivalries (and personalities) in college basketball:
On this day: Exactly 29 years ago, Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA after his short-lived baseball career. His statement, issued by Jordan’s representation, was simple:
“I’m back.”
Daily highlight: While he’s not exactly a favorite of Boston fans, Kyrie Irving’s improvised left-handed buzzer-beater for the Mavericks on Sunday is absolutely worth a watch.
Bonus: “Somebody pressed the wrong button.” Confetti was accidentally jettisoned from the ceiling a little early during Sunday’s Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament Final (in which Duquesne eventually defeated VCU).
Trivia answer: Holy Cross (1947)
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