Starting 5: Tatum's Return Ignites Boston, Wemby's Greatest Challenge, Luka Drops 44

Saturday’s six-game slate gets started early with Prime’s afternoon showcase between the Magic and Wolves (3 ET | Tap To Watch), and wraps with the Warriors at Thunder battling in Primetime on ABC (8:30 ET | Tap To Watch).

1. TATUM’S RETURN: C’S SUPERSTAR IMPACTS WIN VS. FLAGG’S MAVS

Jayson Tatum has returned. 10 months removed from his East Semis Achilles injury. 62 games into Boston’s standout season as the East’s 2-seed. And with 20 games left to make an impact in the Playoff push, the 6-time All-Star got started right away.

Celtics 120, Mavericks 100: Tatum (15 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) was three dimes shy of a triple-double in 27 minutes of limited spurts, with Jaylen Brown (24 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) and Derrick White (20 pts) leading the way past the Mavs and Cooper Flagg (16 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) in his New England homecoming.

Tatum’s final bucket, a corner triple, highlighted a Celtics 18-2 run in the 4th. He exited with a 25-point lead and a standing ovation pouring down appreciation. | Recap

• Tatum made an early impact with five 1st-half rebounds and assists, delivering a putback slam for his first points of the season near the end of the half.
• Comeback Moment: On the next trip down, he side-stepped for a corner 3 that got him rolling, as he described, “like the weight of the world is off my side.”
• “Felt good to see those go in,” Tatum said. “The crowd and everything was behind me. Big step today.”
• Like A Legend: JT became the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett in 2007 to total at least 15 points, 10 boards and five assists in a season debut.

After the game, Tatum shared what the night meant to him after his comeback journey:

“It was surreal”I dreamed about this, and for it to finally happen and share it with my family, my teammates, the crowd, it was everything I could have dreamed of.

“Its been tough. Emotional. A lot of times, I doubted myself. A lot of nights, I spent crying. But I just tried to keep showing up every day.”

• Team Power: “They motivated me the way they attacked the season. I wanted to be a part of that.”
• Coach’s Expectations: “He came out on the other side of this a better person, and I know he’ll become a better player,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We cannot have a lesser version of him.”
• JT 🤝 JB: “It’s great having JT back. I commend him,” Brown said. “He didn’t have to, and nobody put pressure on him, but he wanted to be out there.”

Maddie Meyer/NBAE via Getty Images
Flagg, a Maine native, played as a pro for the first time in the arena he grew up attending to cheer on Tatum. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the 1st half, logging 30 minutes in a back-to-back following his return from injury (foot) Thursday.

2. WEST RACE: WEMBY’S TOUGHEST GAME, LUKA’S 40-BALL, HOUSTON’S TEAM ATTACK

Facing a 25-point deficit and a minutes limit, Victor Wembanyama aced his next great challenge Friday.

Spurs 116, Clippers 112: After playing 39 minutes to beat East-leading Detroit Thursday, Wemby (27 pts, 10 reb, 4 blk, 4 3s) willed the Spurs”largest comeback of the season, overcoming 30 points from Kawhi Leonard for San Antonio’s 14th win in 15 games. | Recap

“That’s close to being the hardest game of my life,”Wemby said postgame. “I thought I was gonna pass out from the 1st quarter.”br>
“We played a hell of a game against the most physical team in the league yesterday”tonight, against a physical team as well”I might pass out.”

• Trailing by 25 in the 3rd quarter, San Antonio started the 4th with an 18-5 run for its first lead since the 1st. Five lead changes later, Wemby’s D-and-dunk keyed the win.
• It Takes Everyone: Julian Champagnie (20 pts, 9 reb, 5 3s) stepped up for San Antonio, while Brook Lopez (26 pts, 6 reb, 4 stl, 4 3s) supported Kawhi.
• Historic Resolve: The 25-point comeback is the second-largest for the franchise since 1997-98, and their league-leading seventh 15+ point rally this season.
• “This feels like a statement for sure, to ourselves”feels like any game is winnable,” Wemby said.

With LeBron James (elbow) out, Luka Dončić stepped up to give the Lakers”faithful a Friday night show.

Lakers 128, Pacers 117: Luka (44 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 7 3s) rode a 22-point 1st quarter to a 40-piece in just three quarters of action, shooting past Pascal Siakam (26 pts) and the Pacers for a fourth win in five games. | Recap

• Super Starter: The league leader in 1st-quarter points logged his 5th 20+ point opening frame of the season, the most of any player in a single season since 1997-98.
• “It’s a great feeling,” Luka said of his hot shooting night. “The whole gym is with you, especially if you’re winning. It’s an amazing feeling tonight.”
• Back & Forth: After a tough loss to Denver Thursday, L.A. moves back within a half-game of the 5th-place Nuggets.

Rockets 106, Blazers 99: Hot shooting nights from Alperen Sengun (28 pts, 11-15 FG) and Amen Thompson (26 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 11-12 FG), along with Houston’s 23-4 run in a 29-17 4th quarter, powered the Rockets”comeback for a fifth win in seven games. | Recap

• Team Leaders: Jerami Grant (21 pts) and Jrue Holiday (20 pts, 10 ast) led 10th-place Portland, while Kevin Durant added 20 points for Houston.
• Fast Starts: Toumani Camara splashed four triples and 14 points to get Portland out to a double-digit 1st-quarter lead, but Sengun helped reel them in with a 15-point 2nd.

Houston capitalized to take a 1-game lead over Denver for the West’s 4th seed, with the two teams meeting in the Mile High City Wednesday.

3. STATEMENT WINS: KNICKS NET 142 IN DENVER, HEAT OUT-SHOOT HORNETS

Knicks 142, Nuggets 103: OG Anunoby (7 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 6 3s) scored 12 of his season-high 34 points in New York’s pivotal 38-23 2nd quarter and it was all Knicks from there, overcoming Nikola Jokić’s 38 points (8 reb, 5 ast) to hand Denver its largest loss of the season. | Recap

• Scoring Display: New York made 43 of 68 shots (63.2 FG%) from the 2nd quarter on to tie its franchise record with a fourth 35+ point win in a single season.
• Prolific Passing: The Knicks tied the mark for most assists by any team this season, dishing 44 helpers, one shy of their franchise record.
• Denver played its original starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 12, with Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson returning, but lost Jamal Murray (ankle) in the 2nd.
• The 3rd-place Knicks kept pace with the Celtics ahead of them and picked up a half-game edge on 4th-place Cleveland.

Heat 128, Hornets 120: Tyler Herro (33 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast, 8 3s) took over with season-highs in points, assists and triples, as Miami (47.4 3P%) out-shot Charlotte and used a 9-0 run in a 30-19 4th quarter to pull away and end the Hornets”six-game win streak. | Recap

• Bam Adebayo (24 pts, 12 reb) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (21 pts) backed up Herro to overpower Kon Knueppel (27 pts, 6 3s), Brandon Miller (22 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast) and LaMelo Ball (21 pts, 5 3s).
• Standings Shakeup: Miami overtakes idle Orlando for the 7-seed, sitting just .001 percentage point behind 6th-place Philly, while Charlotte returns to .500 and the final Play-In spot, 0.5 games behind Atlanta.

Suns 118, Pelicans 116: After Jalen Green’s (25 pts) 18-point 1st half, Devin Booker (32 pts) poured in 18 of his own in the 3rd quarter to help Phoenix build a double-digit lead that outlasted Trey Murphy III (22 pts) and the Pelicans”comeback attempt. | Recap

• Rookie Protector: Suns rook Khaman M