Then on Sunday night, the Boston Celtics’ star and leading scorer Jayson Tatum may have taken one on the chin, or hand, to be more accurate. Remi sustained a right high ankle sprain. The play happened in Sacramento, California, the same night as Tatum’s career night, where he had already scored 25 points. He incurred his injury while hitting a contested 3-pointer in the second half. Kings big man Domantas Sabonis hit Shai during the play, earning Sabonis a flagrant foul 1 call for the dangerous hit.
Tatum, who appeared to be in significant pain, lay on the court for several minutes while medical personnel tended to him. In spite of the injury, he was able to return to the game momentarily, converting one of two shots from the free throw line. This crucial shot extended the Celtics' lead to 79-68 with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter.
Afterward, Tatum was quickly downgraded to doubtful to return and soon left for the locker room. He never returned to the game. The Celtics, though, didn’t lose focus and rode the wave to an impressive 113-95 statement win against the Sacramento Kings.
"Seems to be doing OK, just icing it right now," stated Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla about Tatum's condition after the game.
"… Fortunate that he was able to shoot the free throw and [he's] just taking care of it right now," Mazzulla added.
The win was a display of the Celtics’ signature, incredible grit. Their heart and determination remained, as they showed resilience without perhaps their most important linchpin for the final three quarters. Tatum’s willingness to step up and knock down a potentially series-changing free throw with such an obvious liability up and including injured his stock.
Leave a Reply