The Boston Celtics came into Saturday night's game against the Pistons in Detroit without Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari.
It was also the second night of a back-to-back.
Enter Jayson Tatum.
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The Celtics forward willed his team to an impressive 117-108 victory over the Pistons by scoring 43 points in an MVP-like performance.
The C's have now won six games in a row, and they have the second-best record in the NBA at 10-3.
The Celtics are back in action Monday night when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. But before we look ahead to that game, here are three takeaways from Celtics-Pistons.
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1) Jayson Tatum is on another planet right now
Tatum had to step up offensively without Brown, Brogdon and Horford -- and the superstar forward delivered.
The Celtics looked tired in the third quarter and trailed 63-57 with 10:33 remaining. It was Detroit's largest lead of the night. The game could have started to slip away from Boston at that moment, but Tatum didn't let it. He scored 15 points in the quarter, helping the Celtics go into the fourth quarter leading 89-81.
Tatum finished with a game-high 43 points on 14-of-28 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and three assists in 41 minutes. He scored 28 of his points in the second half as the Celtics found new life and opened up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
Tatum leads the NBA in scoring with 420 total points -- 23 ahead of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant in second place. He has also scored 30-plus points in eight of the team's 12 games so far.
It is not hyperbole to call Tatum one of the top three offensive players in the league right now.
2) Marcus Smart shining as a playmaker
Smart has taken his playmaking to a higher level over the last week, and that positive trend continued Saturday night.
The veteran point guard finished with 18 points, 10 assists and only one turnover.
Smart has tallied 10 assists or more in four of the last five games. In that span he has totaled 48 assists and just six turnovers.
In addition to running the offense and getting his teammates open looks at the basket, Smart also played the excellent defense you'd expect from the reigning Defensive Player of the Year award winner. Smart tallied five (!) steals and one block.
The Celtics badly needed a classic all-around performance from Smart with multiple guards out of the lineup, and he stepped up to the challenge.
3) Grant Williams plays a key role
Tatum played phenomenal, but he couldn't beat the Pistons all by himself. Someone else had to step up and provide some much-needed scoring, and Williams played that role.
He poured in 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-6 from 3-point range) with a team-high 10 rebounds and four assists. He also played a career-high 45 minutes.
Williams has scored 10-plus points in eight of his 11 games played. He's also shooting a career-high 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. His shooting, versatility and defense have been so valuable for Boston this season.