BOSTON — In the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Boston Celtics’ first-round series against the Orlando Magic, Jayson Tatum went up for a shot at the rim. Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contested the shot, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the ground. Tatum went down in a heap and ended up hurting his wrist.
Immediately, Al Horford and some other Celtics teammates came to Tatum’s defense. Horford, in particular, went up to Caldwell-Pope, seemingly accusing him of being too physical multiple times throughout the game. Orlando didn’t take too kindly to the confrontation, but the Celtics stood their ground and made sure Tatum was alright.
After Celtics practice on Wednesday, Horford gave an official reaction to the play that Caldwell-Pope made.
Al Horford called out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for reckless play that injured Jayson Tatum
When asked whether or not he felt like there was anything “extra” on the play, Horford answered immediately: “Yeah.”
Horford adamantly nodded his head, agreeing with the sentiment immediately: He thought Caldwell-Pope was being too physical throughout the night.
“It was about the second or third time that [they], especially KCP, went at him in that way,” Horford said sternly. “So, yeah.”
LEAKED Audio Of The Orlando Magic Trash Talking The Boston Celtics👀:
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) April 21, 2025
KCP: “Who are you talking to?” We going nowhere… you with us!”
Carter Jr: “F*ck wrong with you, n****?”
Then, Mazzula screams at Tatum: “get up!”
Horford didn’t like the ‘shoulder to the ground’ contact. pic.twitter.com/q8fVkFXifU
However, Horford also stated that all he was trying to do afterward was make sure Tatum was okay. “It was all about checking on my guy,” he said. “Making sure he was fine.”
Tatum ended up staying on the ground for a moment (during which Joe Mazzulla screamed at him to "get up"). Trainers eventually went out to check on him and he finished the game, helping Boston earn a 103-86 win over the Magic.
After the game, Tatum stated that his wrist was throbbing a bit in the moment, but the issue went away eventually. However, Mazzulla stated on Tuesday that Tatum would be day-to-day heading into Game 2 of the series, which is on Wednesday night.
“Yeah, he was able to do some stuff [at practice],” Mazzulla said of Tatum after Celtics practice on Tuesday afternoon. “He was sore after the game. It's gotten a little better today. He was able to go through some on-court work, and he'll go from there.”
Historically, Tatum doesn't like to sit out of games, and considering it's the playoffs, it seems relatively unlikely that he ends up sitting out on Wednesday night. However, if the Celtics feel as though they need to protect his wrist for the remainder of the postseason, they could choose a short-term loss over a long-term risk.