Little Caesars Arena is prepared for the upcoming matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. While there isn’t much left to do for the Pistons this season, the Celtics would like to extend their winning streak to eight games. Even though they have played well this season so far, injuries are slowly starting to creep in as we go deeper into the season.
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According to the Celts’ official injury report, Jayson Tatum has sustained an injury on his right ankle, and his status for the game later today is deemed to be ‘questionable’. His ankle impingement is not new, and he has been playing with the injury for the last few games. Tatum was with the team during their last game, which was against the Milwaukee Bucks. In their 122-119 win, he scored 31 points with eight rebounds and four assists.
Having already crossed the 65-game threshold and with his team sitting comfortably at the top of the league, it won’t be unreasonable for the Celtics to rest Tatum, especially against a struggling Detroit side. As per Boston’s report, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis are either questionable or probable for the game tonight. On the other hand, Jrue Holiday is out due to a right AC joint sprain.
The Celtics without Jayson Tatum
There’s no doubt that Tatum is the most important member on the Boston squad. But even in his absence, the Celtics have performed well, especially against the Pistons. In their last matchup, they comfortably beat the Detroit franchise 119-94. Brown dropped 31 points with seven rebounds and three assists while Derrick White closed out the game with a triple-double, 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Safe to say, the Celtics won’t have much problem dealing with the Pistons.
In his MVP worthy season so far, Tatum has played 65 games, where he is averaging 27.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.6 block, while shooting 47.4% from the field. As of now, it seems like his presence in the team’s rotation will be a last-minute call, either way, the Celtics will go into this game as the favorites.
