Jayson Tatum says he's not at his best yet. He sure looked the part for Boston in a Game 3 win

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jayson Tatum let his final 3-pointer fly — a dagger, in NBA parlance — and the rip of the net could be heard on the other side of the court.

Tatum pounded his chest in a pure adrenaline rush moment for the big bucket that quieted the crowd, crushed the hopes of a 76ers' late run, and was a crunch-time reminder that the six-time NBA All-Star is as close to elite as he was before a ruptured right Achilles tendon cost him the bulk of the regular season.

Tatum cautioned after the Celtics beat the 76ers in Game 3 of their first-round series that, no, he's not 100% back in his recovery.

Not yet, at least.

He could have fooled the Sixers.

With a little help from his longtime partner and fellow NBA champion Jaylen Brown, Tatum scored 25 points and played 42 minutes in the Celtics' 108-100 win on Friday night for a 2-1 series lead. Tatum made 5 of 9 3-pointers and combined with Brown to score 19 of the Celtics’ 29 points in the fourth quarter.

“It may not seem like it because I'm back playing, but it was a very, very long time for me not to be doing what I love to do," Tatum said. “I can't stress it enough, the fact that I just get to put my uniform on and run out there with the team is a win for me.”

Boston had a pretty big W, too, and rebounded from a surprise Game 2 loss at home that injected a dose of confidence into All-Star Tyrese Maxey, rookie standout VJ Edgecombe to rip back home court in the series headed into Sunday's Game 4 in Philadelphia.

Tatum returned for the final 16 games of the regular season and averaged 21.8 points and shot 41% from the floor. He scored 25 points in Boston's Game 1 rout and had 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in the Game 2 loss.

Celtics fans — Tatum raised his arm in celebration toward a small pocket of them near the visitor's tunnel — want Tatum to be Tatum, like, now. Especially if the Celtics are going to win a second NBA title under coach Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla, Tatum and the Celtics know there's still a process to follow in this comeback and perfect health won't be found in the first round of the playoffs.

Tatum was carried off the floor with a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Knicks last season. Surgery the next day thrust him into a nearly 10-month rehab.

It ended on March 6 with his season debut. Tatum hasn't said how close he is to 100% but — yeah, it's close.

“Expectations of what people want me to do is the last thing that has crossed my mind,” Tatum said. “The amount of joy I've been able to find, and being out there with my teammates is all I can think about.”

Philadelphia played again without center Joel Embiid for Game 3 as he continues to ease his way back into practice following an appendectomy on April 9.

Maxey scored 31 points and teamed with Paul George and Edgecombe to keep the Sixers afloat in front of a raucous home crowd that included Allen Iverson and Julius Erving.

Fans were already on their feet when the Sixers brought the ball down in the fourth and roared when Maxey let a 28-footer fly and hit it for an 85-84 lead.

Tatum and Brown — who also scored 25 points — are just too experienced, too talented, too cool in the clutch to let a little crowd noise and the pesky Sixers rattle them.

Brown scored eight straight points late in the fourth for a 96-92 lead and moved past Robert Parrish and Bill Russell and into seventh place on Boston's career playoff scoring list with 2,695 points.

“No moment is too big,” Brown said. “Big-time players make big-time plays.”

That wasn't lost on Maxey, the first-time Eastern Conference All-Star starter who has gamely tried to carry the Sixers in Embiid's absence.

“Down the stretch. They don’t get too high or too low," Maxey said. "They all know what they’re trying to get to. They’ve been together for a while. In our case, you've got to fight like hell and push them to the limit.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey, right, tries to get past Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum during the first half of Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, right, goes up for a shot past Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr. during the second half of Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, left, tries to get past Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona during the second half of Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum celebrates with teammates after the Celtics won Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum reacts after scoring during the second half of Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst lived up to his word and boosted the Packers' cornerback depth by selecting South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse with their opening pick in the NFL draft Friday.

The Packers, who didn’t have a first-round pick, chose Cisse in the second round at No. 52 overall. This marked the latest that Green Bay has ever made its opening pick in a draft.

Green Bay addressed another position of need later Friday by sending a fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay to move up seven spots in the third round and take Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77 overall.

“I’m really excited about these two guys,” Gutekunst said. “I think they can help our football team. I think they have really bright futures ahead of them.”

Gutekunst said at a pre-draft news conference Tuesday that cornerback was probably the position where “we’re going to need to add the most numbers.” Green Bay lacked proven cornerbacks beyond the tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

Gutekunst said he liked Cisse and McCellan enough to consider both of them with Green Bay's second-round pick He had no qualms about trading up when McClellan was still available in the third round.

“We really had a few players with that first pick at 52 that we liked, and it was kind of a tough decision there,” Gutekunst said. “And then a couple of them hung around and we tried to get one, and we did.”

Cisse savored the opportunity to begin his NFL career in Green Bay. His emotional reaction to the announcement of his name was caught on camera during the draft telecast.

“It’s special,” Cisse said. “I saw the area code and I saw Green Bay Packers, and it’s like a moment come true. Just really can’t put it into words.”

Cisse said his girlfriend's family members are big Packers fans from Wisconsin, giving him plenty of familiarity with his new team.

“Just a historic tradition,” Cisse said. “Cheesehead, Go Pack Go, just a very loud stadium, Lambeau Field.”

Cisse also said he spoke briefly with Nixon, another former South Carolina player. Cisse said he planned to learn everything he could from his new teammate.

Although Cisse's college numbers don't jump off the page, the Packers believe he has plenty of qualities that should translate to the NFL.

Cisse spent last season at South Carolina after playing two years at N.C. State. The 6-footer totaled 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in three college seasons.

Packers national scout Mike Owen said he lives about 35 minutes from South Carolina's campus and spent plenty of time with Cisse.

“When you go there, they spoke highly of him in the weight room, at practice,” Owen said. “Smart kid, always watching a ton of football. Every time I went there, he was in the recruiting office watching the NFL, college or high school. That’s what I love about the kid. He really loves football at the end of the day.”

Cisse's love for football was evident from the trip he took to watch last season's NFC championship game at Seattle in person. He hopes to eventually be playing in a game with similarly high stakes.

“It’s something that you really strive for,” Cisse said. “So I look forward to it and being able to get in that kind of environment.”

The Packers got another SEC defensive player in McClellan, who started 22 games at Missouri over the last two seasons after playing for Florida from 2022-23. He recorded six sacks last season.

Green Bay wasn't picking until Friday because the Packers had sent their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to Dallas last August as part of the blockbuster trade that brought All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay.

Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 14 games last year before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely and likely will prevent him from being available for the start of the upcoming season.

“That was the first thing I thought about as soon as they hung up the phone and we see it on the screen, I get to play with one of the best in the game in Micah Parsons, man,” McClellan said.

This marked the first time Green Bay entered a draft without a first-round pick since 1986, though the Packers traded out of the first round on draft day in 2008 and 2017.

The Packers have five picks on Saturday, including two in the seventh round.

“You wouldn’t mind moving around a little bit," Gutekunst said. "I think the board is strong, and there’s good players up there. It's always hard just to stick to the very best player available, but particularly on the third day, I think if you can do that, you’re better off. And so, I don’t feel like (there's) a pressing need. I didn’t feel that coming into this draft, and I don’t feel that now, that we have to go just fill a spot.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) runs drills during the school's NFL football Pro Day, March 17, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File)