The Boston Celtics will be playing back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers as the team tries to cap off this two-game road trip on a high note. Boston had no problems taking care of the Pacers as they won their last matchup with a 118-101 final score. However, despite the positive result over Indiana, concerns have emerged as to whether Jayson Tatum will be in the Celtics lineup come game-time tonight.
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The Boston Celtics training staff has three players listed as questionable for their second game at Indiana. According to CBS Sports, Sam Hauser, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum are all listed as ‘Game Time Decision’ on the latest injury report.
The Boston Celtics medical and training staff will evaluate all three players hours before tipoff to see if they’re healthy enough to play. While Boston may be able to hold their own with Hauser and Kristaps Porzingis missing from the team’s lineup, the same cannot be said for Tatum’s absence.
#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow at Indiana:
Sam Hauser (right shoulder impingement) – QUESTIONABLE
Kristaps Porzingis (right eye irritation) – QUESTIONABLE
Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain management) – QUESTIONABLE— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 7, 2024
The Duke product has been sidelined due to a sprain in his left ankle. JT has been dealing with constant tweaks to his ankle in the past few days. Tatum’s injury history also revealed he had been sidelined on three separate occasions in the last 10 days of December as well.
Jayson Tatum is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 27.5 PPG so far this season. He is also the team’s leader in rebounds with 8.7 RPG per game. Tatum has been averaging 4.5 APG on a 60.9 true shooting percentage.
As for their last win over the Pacers, Tatum played a huge role in the team’s victory. During the 38 minutes on the floor, Tatum had 38 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal, shooting an insane 60.9% from the field and 61.5% from the three-point line. So, if the superstar does miss the contest, it will be interesting to see how the Celtics cope with his absence, especially against Tyrese Haliburton, and his rising Pacers side.
Can Boston survive without Jayson Tatum?
The upcoming game between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers will wildly depend on the latter team’s performance. The Pacers performed horrendously in their last matchup against the Celtics.
The Pacers shot an astounding low, 19% from beyond the arc as opposed to the Celtics’ 39%. Indiana also lacked by a huge margin in the rebounds category as well. Regardless of the poor first-quarter start that the Pacers had, they were able to pick up the pace in the following two quarters, only to run out of gas in the fourth.
Indiana surely has a challenge ahead of them as the team hopes to even out the season record against the Celtics to two games apiece. However, that will be easier said than done if Tatum does end up suiting up for the team.
As for JT, given the constant pressure and trauma his ankles have gone through in such a short span, there is a strong chance the Celtics may list him out as load management. Tune in tonight to see if Jayson Tatum does lace up and leads the Celtics to the finish line once again.
