“Can only do that vs injured teams”: Jayson Tatum faces fan backlash as big game against injured squad sparks mockery

Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum lit up the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The five-time All-Star recorded a game-high 34 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six 3-pointers on 54.5% shooting. However, he did so against an extremely shorthanded Memphis squad, leaving fans underwhelmed.

The Grizzlies had a whopping 13 players sidelined for Sunday’s contest, including their entire starting five and most of their key bench players. So, Memphis’ roster was primarily comprised of two-way contract and 10-day contract players.

Of the Grizzlies’ eight available players, veteran sharpshooter Luke Kennard was their most accomplished. Thus, the league-best Celtics (38-12) coasted to a 40-point victory (131-91) behind Tatum’s big night.

However, fans were less than impressed with the effort. Following the game, many took to X/Twitter to mock Tatum for padding his stats against non-NBA-level players.

“Against AI-generated players,” one fan said.

“Can only do that vs injured teams,” another said.

“Stat-padded against a JV team,” another added.

Below are some more of the top fan reactions to Tatum making light work of the depleted Grizzlies:

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Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum and Co. bouncing back against Memphis

Entering Sunday, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were coming off a disappointing 114-105 home loss to a shorthanded LA Lakers team on Thursday. The Lakers were without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis for that matchup.

It appears that the Celtics learned their lesson about not overlooking lesser opponents, as they bounced back and then some against the depleted Grizzlies.

After the victory, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla highlighted how his team took care of business.

“I thought we did our job,” Mazzulla said. “I thought the game went how it was supposed to go. I thought we played well, we executed and we came with the right mindset.”

Despite experiencing some letdowns lately, the Celtics have won nine of their last 12 games. Meanwhile, they still sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference.

Boston (38-12) is 5.0 games ahead of the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks (33-17). Additionally, the Celtics are at least 3.0 games up on every Western Conference team. Thus, they remain the betting favorites to win the 2024 NBA championship.

Boston will look to continue its success when it hosts the Atlanta Hawks (22-27) on Wednesday. Atlanta has won four straight games. However, the Celtics are 1-0 against the Hawks this season.

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