Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round series between Boston and Orlando, was the first time Jayson Tatum ever missed a postseason clash in his career. The reigning champion sat out with a bone bruise in his right wrist during his team’s 109-100 victory.
The 27-year-old, who was announced as ‘doubtful’ before the contest, was officially declared out just an hour before tipoff, as he had sustained an injury during the Celtics‘ 103-86 Game 1 win on Sunday evening. However, the Massachusetts club played fine without their main star.
Teammate Jaylen Brown led the charge in his absence, scoring 36 points and earning 10 rebounds last night. “He came in saying he was going to do everything it takes to win,” said coach Joe Mazzulla about the All-Star, who also returned recently from an injury.
Incredibly enough, the Olympic-gold medalist had competed in all 114 possible playoff matches during his eight years in Boston. This time around, he participated in 72 games for his club during this past regular season, leading the squad in averages for points, assists and rebounds.
Tatum had played in all 114 possible playoff games during his eight seasons in Boston. He played in 72 games during the regular season, leading the Celtics in points, assists and rebounds per game. The Celtics were 8-2 without Tatum in the regular season, according to ESPN Research.
Even though Tatum did some on-court work on Wednesday, his coach ruled him out later that night. “I know he’s doing everything he can to put himself in position to play,” Mazzulla said, as the Celtics are 8-2 without him on court. “He’ll be day to day.”
Without Jayson, it was Al Horford’s turn to start in his place, and told the press that the Magic has been overly-physical with his teammate in Game 1. “Yeah, there was something extra,” the veteran said on Tuesday. “There was a lot. It was the second or third time that — especially [Caldwell-Pope] — went at him in that way.”
