For the second time this season, the Atlanta Hawks swooped into TD Garden and left the Celtics stunned. Saturday’s clash was spicier, stretching into OT, with Trae Young and crew outlasting Boston for a 119-115 win. Jrue Holiday’s infamous foul? It set the stage for chaos. Then came Jayson Tatum’s scuffle with Onyeka Okongwu and Joe Mazzulla’s unfiltered courtside antics. Stir it all together, and you’ve got peak NBA drama.

With 3:46 left in OT, tensions boiled over as Jayson Tatum and Onyeka Okongwu locked horns in a tie-up, leading to a jump ball. Even after the whistle, neither backed down. Eventually, referees stepped in, separating the teams as the heat escalated. Meanwhile, the Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla was clapping profusely. We know how much Joe loves drama and spice in the games. He hilariously walked out to the scrum and continued to applaud right in front of Hawks guard Trae Young.

But during the post-game presser, Jayson Tatum talked about the scuffle and somewhat silenced the media. There were some curious questions about how he felt in the moment, did he noticed Mazzulla’s reaction, and what was it like. The 26-year-old forward boldly replied: “I probably did that for you. I thought you probably like that, see me getting angry and shit. But it was fun, like a little tussle, I think the fans enjoyed it. I give the refs credit like it shouldn’t have been a tech, they didn’t call it. They separated us and then we kept playing.”

The media has always been a bit harsh around JT. Be it his style of playing or the way he sometimes doesn’t deliver- they are always there with their hawk’s eye, preying on him over such matters. And now that he went into a proper tussle on the court, he had to give his most sarcastic response to silence them, even if it meant for a little while.

Tatum scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds in a game that ultimately didn’t add to their score tally. Thus keeping the reigning champs as the No.2 team of the East with a 29-13 record. At the same time, Joe Mazzulla expressed why he enjoyed the heated moment on the court. Well, the 36-year-old HC has never hidden his feelings about on-court fights in the NBA. Thus he was one happy man when the drama was unfolding.

Jayson Tatum’s scuffle with Okongwu was the C’s ‘competitive nature’ as per the HC

Coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t just tolerate fighting in the NBA—he admires it. Not for the flashy drama, but for the gritty, almost artistic craft behind it. Back in 2024, Jayson Tatum‘s coach was called an “odd cat” for his love for fighting in the games. When Joe Mazzulla hit Boston radio, you knew he wasn’t about to play it safe. True to form, he delivered. His pitch?

Scrap the free throws. Bring in power plays. Teams go a man down after fouls, just like hockey. Imagine the chaos. Classic Mazzulla. “Bring back fighting,” he said, unfazed. “The biggest thing that we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can’t fight anymore. I wish we’d bring back fighting,” Mazzulla said on NBC Sports Boston.

So, now when he got the fighting back, Joe couldn’t keep calm. Throw in the claps and smiles. Thus after the game on Saturday, the HC noted: “It’s just competitive nature. It’s a fight you know. I think that stuff’s important and you need to show a level of spirit and we did that. And so you know it’s- that was great. You got to feed off that. And it’s a representation of the Celtics and the mindset that we’re trying to have. I thought it was great.” Of course, he thought it was great. Well, the crowd enjoyed it too!

Therefore, Saturday’s game was all about Jayson Tatum’s fire and Joe Mazzulla’s flair. The hoopster’s heated clash with Onyeka Okongwu showed his grit, while his sarcastic post-game jab silenced the critics. He wanted to give the media a moment to enjoy!  Meanwhile, Mazzulla soaked it all in, clapping courtside and calling it “great” for the team’s spirit. Ultimately, the night ended in a loss for the C’s and there’s a lot they need to buckle up before things go out of hand!