Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Gives Insight Into Tussle With Hawks

Jayson Tatum’s approach is usually the same when an opponent tries to get under the Celtics star’s skin.

When it came to Caleb Martin’s hard foul in last year’s playoffs or Grant Williams’ open-floor body check this season, Tatum just got up, brushed himself off and walked away like nothing happened.

But Tatum showed a different side of himself Celtics fans have clamored for Saturday night in a 119-115 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden.

Just over a minute into the extra frame, Tatum forced a jump ball tie-up underneath Boston’s basket with Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu. The play quickly turned physical with Okongwu flailing to try to stop Tatum. But Tatum seemed determined to rip the ball from Okongwu’s hands even after the whistle sounded, leading to the two getting into a skirmish and having to be separated by teammates. A video review of the incident didn’t add any fouls to either player.

It was an unusual sight for Tatum to be in a scrap, but he enjoyed mixing it up with Okongwu after questions lingered about Tatum’s toughness.

“Honestly, I probably did that for you,” Tatum told a reporter following the loss, as transcribed by Boston.com’s Khari A. Thompson. “I thought you would probably like that, see me get angry and (expletive). But it was fun. A little tussle. I think the fans enjoyed it. It got the crowd going. Give the refs credit, it should have been a tech. They didn’t call it, they separated us, and we kept playing.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla certainly believes there’s a place for fighting in an NBA game. So, it’s no surprise Tatum’s actions gained full approval from Mazzulla.

In fact, as the situation unfolded, Mazzulla didn’t stop clapping as he made his way from the sideline onto the floor where the players were separated.

“It’s just competitive nature. It’s a fight,” Mazzulla told reporters, per Thompson. “I think that stuff is important and you need to show a level of spirit and we did that. That was great. You’ve got to feed off of that. It’s a representation of the Celtics and the mindset that we’re trying to have. It was great.”