Tatum’s double-double lifts Boston against Washington

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Jayson Tatum is slowly getting back to his old form after steering the Boston Celtics to a lopsided 111-100 victory over the Washington Wizards on March 15, 2026, in the ongoing NBA regular season.

Fresh off his highest-scoring performance since returning from a ruptured Achilles injury, Tatum sustained his momentum by extending his streak of scoring 20 points or more to three consecutive games.

Tatum nearly tallied a triple-double against the Wizards as he delivered 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in just 32 minutes of playing time.

The Celtics also received positive medical updates regarding Tatum’s playing time after the coaching staff decided to increase his minutes by an additional five.

After playing 27 minutes in the past four games, Tatum received the green light to log 32 minutes, a huge step in the team’s preparation for the upcoming NBA playoffs.

Despite Tatum’s early offensive struggles from the field, the superstar skipper still delivered on the intangibles, diving for loose balls to give Boston second-chance possessions while also boxing out underneath to help the Celtics control the rebounding battle from start to finish.

Tatum found his shooting rhythm midway through the third quarter, kicked off by a step-back 3-pointer and a fadeaway jumper from the left block that ballooned Boston’s lead to as much as 30 points.

Every time Tatum made a play, the entire Boston bench mob roared on the sidelines, which the coaching staff also loved, especially chief tactician Joe Mazzulla.

“It’s an infectious energy,” Mazzulla said.

“Of course, you don’t expect a guy who was out for 11 months and perform immediately. J’s teammates know he needs them. And with those gestures, we’re happy that it is making him lock in even more.”

A balanced scoring avalanche trounced the Wizards, with two-way athletic center Neemias Queta leading the charge with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three dimes.

The trio of Jaylen Brown, Luka Garza and Derrick White chipped in 16, 15 and 15 markers, respectively, while Sam Hauser added 12 points, six boards and two dimes.

On the other hand, Tristan Vukcevic was the lone bright spot for Washington, dropping 22 points off the bench on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting from the field.