Three things to Know: Back home, Tatum breaks out of slump, outduels Mitchell

Three Things To Know is NBC’s five-days-a-week wrap-up of the night before in the NBA. Check out NBCSports.com every weekday morning to catch up on what you missed the night before plus the rumors, drama, and dunks that make the NBA must-watch.

Jayson Tatum had been in a bit of a shooting slump, which seemed to infect everyone on the team in losing to the Knicks Tuesday. On the big stage of Madison Square Garden, Tatum was 1-of-9 from 3, and the Celtics as a whole shot 21.4% from deep.

What they needed was some home cooking. Tatum scored 41 points and hit 4-of-6 from deep, and the Celtics shot 50% from beyond the arc for the night.

The man is unstoppable pic.twitter.com/hwnNEjypZq

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 2, 2023

Al Horford added 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for the Celtics.

Boston needed all of that because Donovan Mitchell went off for 44. That included a stretch in the third quarter when it looked like he was injured after slipping on a wet floor, but he stayed in the game and scored the next 10 Cavaliers points.

Donovan Mitchell tonight:

44 points4 rebounds5 assists4 threes pic.twitter.com/VjnuM3L1pF

— NBA (@NBA) March 2, 2023

It’s a March win that is good for the Celtics’ ego (not that they needed it). This is a potential second-round matchup in the East, if Boston climbs past red-hot Milwaukee for the top seed again, and Cleveland had won the first two meetings and gained confidence. Boston could use this win and the problems they caused the Cavaliers if these teams face off in the postseason.

The Suns picked a soft landing spot to bring Kevin Durant into the lineup, a struggling Hornets team now without LaMelo Ball for the rest of the season.

KD showed