The Boston Celtics rolled into Denver, ready to exploit a major gap—the absence of Nikola Jokic. But while they crafted a clever game plan to outsmart the Nuggets, it wasn’t just the scoreline stealing attention. Jayson Tatum broke the silence on a simmering feud with Russell Westbrook that lit up the night. The result? A strategic 118-106 win for Boston, but not without a Westbrook-sized storm in their path.

Well, not particularly a feud, but Brodie’s old habit of trash-talking his opponent. Tatum, usually the cool-headed star, had a rare exchange of words with Westbrook during the game. It’s not his style, but Tatum admits that he’s willing to make an exception for fiery players like Westbrook. After scoring 29 points for the Celtics, JT said of Westbrook, “Love Russ to death.” He added: “I can’t say enough good things about him. What he’s meant to the game, the NBA, one of the best players to ever play. How he’s inspired so many kids. I was in high school watching Russ when he first got to the league.”

Jayson Tatum further said that for players like Russell Westbrook, he’s willing to change his habits of talking less. But does the 26-year-old forward enjoy playing against a player who talks a lot? “It’s cool because I know Russ,” Tatum said of his trash talk. “I’m not a trash talker. I don’t say anything at all really but if I got a relationship with you, if I know you, I go back and forth. I’m pretty close with Russ so it’s always fun to have matchups every year with each other.”

While this camaraderie was a sight to behold in the Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics matchup, there was something more interesting going on. And it was solely how Joe Mazzulla’s side switched their plans as per the situation that ultimately helped them win the game. So, what was it?

Jayson Tatum admitted rare strategy for Jokic-less Denver Nuggets

So, Denver did not have their Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic on the team for Tuesday’s game. He was ruled out due to illness and this was the gap the Celtics wanted to exploit. And oh boy! they did. Before we dive in further, let’s just look into the 3-point % of both teams. Denver Nuggets: 38.9% and Boston Celtics: 34.3%. Well? Isn’t it curious why Jaylen Brown and Co. did not shoot more three-pointers in the game? At least, JT who is just hitting insane 3-points this season was also kind of quiet. And why?

“I think with Jokic out tonight, just knowing that there was less room protection tonight and more opportunities to attack. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we normally do. What we would like so just to figure out ways to still find ways to score and get high-percentage shots,” Jayson Tatum admitted in the post-game presser.

That was a smart strategy the Celtics succeeded in executing against the Denver Nuggets. Only Russell Westbrook could go beyond 20 points in the game while Jayson Tatum and Co. dominated the game. The C’s had to overcome Mr. Triple Double as their biggest hurdle to win on Tuesday. Truly, an intense game with hints of brotherhood from Westbrook and Tatum lit up the night further.