Kemba Walker returned against Orlando on Wednesday night after a left oblique strain that caused him to miss four games. The ESPN Top 100 player didn’t miss a beat, scoring 32 points and tying his season-high.
Walker did not stand alone in the postgame stats, alongside him were Jayson Tatum and Evan Fournier. Tatum dropped 27 points and Fournier had 18 against his former team.
Aside from their dominating performances, another exciting connection between Walker and Fournier seems to have sparked. The two were rivals for years when Walker was in Charlotte, but have formed a bond since Fournier was traded from the Magic in March.
Wednesday night’s game showcased what could be the next big duo after Walker and Fournier finally had the opportunity to share the court. After being traded and sidelined for weeks due to COVID-19 related issues and then the point guard’s injury, the pair couldn’t seem to find themselves together in the lineup.
However, now that they are, there is no stopping them.
“He and Kemba really like playing with each other. That has a chance to have good chemistry,” Brad Stevens said in a postgame interview. “We just haven’t seen that much yet. They’ve just played against each other for so long. They’re both intrigued by that as well.”
The Celtic’s 36 point win over Orlando helped continue to build the team’s confidence as they head into the final weeks of the regular season.
They have an off-day Thursday to travel to Chicago for their Friday night matchup against the Bulls. The Bulls play the Hornets today in hopes of snapping their four-game losing streak, while Boston aims to extend their winning streak to 2 in Friday’s game.