Jayson Tatum remains listed as doubtful for the Boston Celtics, meaning the reigning NBA champions do not expect him to play Friday when they visit the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
Tatum is dealing with a bone bruise in his right wrist, an injury suffered on a hard fall after getting fouled in Game 1 of the series. Tatum did not play in Game 2, when the Celtics prevailed for a 2-0 series lead.
“He’s dealing with a severe bone bruise,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said in an interview on Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub. “He’s day to day. He’s progressively gotten a little bit better each day. (Wednesday) he went through all the protocols and did everything he could possibly do up until the last moment to try to play.”
Wednesday’s game was the first playoff contest Tatum has missed in his career. He appeared in 114 consecutive postseason games for Boston since joining the franchise in 2017 as the No. 3 pick in the draft.
Tatum is a six-time All-Star, is likely to make an All-NBA team for the fifth time this year, and has two Olympic gold medals in addition to being part of the team that won the title for Boston a year ago.
“At the end of the day I know he’ll do whatever it takes to put himself in position to play and put our team in position to win,” Mazzulla said. “It’s kind of who he is and we trust in that.”
Mazzulla said he wasn’t certain if the injury was the sort that could lead to an extended absence.
“I trust his process, I trust his mindset, I trust the people around him that help put him in position,” Mazzulla said in the radio interview. “That’s all we can do.”
Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists during the regular season, leading the 61-win Celtics in all three categories.
Game 4 is Sunday in Orlando. Game 5, if necessary, would be Tuesday in Boston.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
