BOSTON — In Game 1 of the Boston Celtics’ first-round series against the Orlando Magic, Jayson Tatum took a hard fall early in the fourth quarter after a Flagrant foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He injured his wrist on the play, but he remained in the game and helped the Celtics close it out against the Magic.
After the game, Tatum said that the wrist was throbbing a bit at first but ended up being okay, also noting that post-game X-rays came back negative for any serious damage. Now, the Celtics will have to make an important decision heading into Game 2 of the series regarding Tatum’s status.
Joe Mazzulla provided the latest update after practice on Tuesday afternoon.
Joe Mazzulla gives Jayson Tatum injury update ahead of Celtics vs. Magic Game 2
When asked about whether or not Tatum will be good to go for Wednesday night’s contest, Mazzulla kept his response short and simple: “Day-to-day.”
In addition to that, Mazzulla provided a small update regarding Tatum’s status at practice.
“Yeah, he was able to do some stuff [at practice],” Mazzulla said of Tatum. “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.”
In the moment, the Celtics weren't too pleased with Caldwell-Pope's play on Tatum. Al Horford, in particular, made sure to stand up for his long-time teammate. He believed that Caldwell-Pope had been a bit too reckless throughout the game.
After practice on Tuesday, he confirmed this. When asked if he thought there was something "extra" to the play, he aswered quickly with a resounding, "Yeah."
“It was about the second or third time that [they], especially KCP, went at him in that way,” Horford said. “So, yeah.”
However, Horford also added that he was simply trying to make sure his guy was okay. “It was all about checking on my guy,” he said. “Making sure he was fine.”
As noted, Tatum ended up finishing the game with a Celtics, helping his team earn a 103-86 win over the Magic, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. However, now day-to-day for Game 2, the Celtics will have a tough decision to make.
Will they sit their best player in hopes of avoiding further injury deep into the playoffs? Or will Tatum, who notoriously doesn't like to sit out games, play through the ailment?