FILE — Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on March 31, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum continues to use an inhaler while recuperating from COVID-19.
Tatum, 23, knocked down the game-sealing 3-pointer to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, capping a 32-point night. But he said postgame he’s still very much in recovery mode.
“It’s a process. It takes a long time,” he said. “I take an inhaler before the game since I’ve tested positive. This has kind of helped with that and opened up my lungs, and, you know, I never took an inhaler before. So that’s something different. I for sure feel better now than I did a month ago.”
It was the fourth win in a row for the Celtics, who are 6-1 this month. Tatum is on a personal tear, too, averaging 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in April.
Jayson Tatum becomes the first @celtics player to score 53+ points since Larry Bird (60 points on Mar. 12, 1985). pic.twitter.com/tVr2lIsuM0
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 10, 2021
The fourth-year forward doesn’t know if he’ll need to keep his inhaler handy the rest of the way with Boston climbing the East standings. The Celtics were fifth in the conference playoff picture entering Wednesday.
“There’s no exact timetable,” Tatum said. “Just when I feel comfortable enough and I think I don’t need it.”