Just the first quarter and Jayson Tatum captivated the crowd at Spectrum Center as MVP chants rocked the arena. But even then, Celtics fans waited with bated breath as their superstar seemed to have sustained an injury. Right after the first quarter, Tatum was seen having his thumb worked on by his trainer, Nick Sang.

And according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, he also had an icepack on it. It also seems that Sang continues to work on JT’s thumb between quarters. As of now, there are no further details on the issue. But whatever it is doesn’t seem to affect the reigning champ’s performance.

Tatum came out strong in the first quarter, scoring 16 points and four rebounds while shooting 5-of-9 from the field and draining 2-of-4 from downtown, effectively setting the tone for the game.

But that wasn’t the only injury the reigning champ faced tonight. With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Grant Williams practically bulldozed Jayson Tatum. Although JT immediately got back up, it was clear from his reaction that he was less than pleased, but the 26-year-old quietly walked away rather than engaging in any back-and-forth.

The former Celtic, for his part, was immediately assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. As Boston pulled off with a spectacular 124-109 win, the 5x All-Star finished with a game-high double-double – 34 points and 11 rebounds. Clearly, nothing was stopping Tatum tonight.

Jayson Tatum helps the Boston Celtics improve to 5-1 with a dominant showing

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the C’s managed to win behind Tatum against a hungry Hornets team. Aside from JT, Jaylen Brown posted 25 points as he shot 8-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. But the other aspect that helped ‘Beantown’ is the 24 fouls that Charlotte committed while Boston kept it at a minimum of 13.

Aside from getting nearly run over by Williams, Tatum found himself face-to-face with a dangerous foul during a three-point attempt, courtesy of none other than LaMelo Ball. The Hornets star was promptly assessed a Flagrant 1 for exactly that reason. Towards the closing seconds, Miles Bridges was also ejected. As fans have pointed out, it certainly was a strange ending.

It could perhaps be perceived as a desperate last shot at keeping themselves alive against the reigning champions. Nonetheless, there is no two ways about the fact that it wasn’t the best way to go about it, as the Celtics made 29 out of their 35 free throws (82.9%). And Charlotte? 6-of-12 (50%).

Anyway, the two are scheduled to meet again on Saturday at 6 PM ET. There is no doubt that sparks will fly!