Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is currently listed as questionable (due to left knee stiffness) in the latest injury report, for tonight’s decisive Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden.
The Celtics superstar sparked major concern during Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center when he exited with four minutes remaining in the third quarter and headed straight to the locker room. While he eventually returned to the bench, he spent the remainder of the game on a stationary bike as the Celtics fell 106-93.
Despite the questionable tag, there is a strong sense of optimism in Boston. Ultimately, head coach Joe Mazzulla opted to pull all of his starters with the team trailing by 23 points, which was the primary reason Tatum never returned to the floor.
Mazzulla downplays Tatum’s fitness issue
Seeing Tatum head directly to the locker room undoubtedly sparked a sense of dread among Celtics fans. However, Mazzulla made it a point to clarify after the game that the superstar was not injured and that there was no cause for alarm.
Jayson Tatum during Game 6 vs 76ers. (Getty Images)
“He went in the back, just got stretched, got some treatment,” Mazzulla told reporters during his press conference, per Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS, effectively ruling out any significant injury. “That was about it”.
76ers dealing with concerns on the injury report
Philadelphia also enters the decisive Game 7 with its own concerns on the injury report. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George are listed as probable for the matchup, though both stars are expected to be in the lineup tonight at TD Garden.
The silver lining for the 76ers is that Tyrese Maxey is officially available to play after previously appearing on the injury report. Maxey has been essential to Nick Nurse’s scheme, scoring 20+ points in every game of the series against the Celtics thus far.
