As the Boston Celtics were looking to close out the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, their 4x All-Star Jayson Tatum took a hit from PJ Tucker in the groin area with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game.
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The Cs were up 2 points at 104-102 at that point. Tatum went to the locker room, leaving Boston fans in dilemma. However, he came back, and Celtics went on to make it a 4-point game with 1:46 remaining on the game clock.
The Celtics could not hold on to that lead much longer, thanks to the brilliance of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. However, the Celtics turned the tide of the series with their Game 2 performance.
Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers?
Yes. Jayson Tatum is not on the injury report that has Danillo Gallinari, who is ‘out’, and Marcus Smart, who is ‘questionable’ because of a chest contusion. That’s according to an official report by the Boston Celtics.
#NEBHInjuryReport for Game 2 tomorrow vs. Philadelphia:
Danilo Gallinari (left knee ACL repair) – OUT
Marcus Smart (chest contusion) – QUESTIONABLE— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 2, 2023
Smart not playing could make it difficult for Derrick White to take care of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, who are both going to be menace throughout these conference semifinals by the looks of it.
But Tatum being fit at least gives them a chance to compete after getting outclassed by The Beard and a 22-year-old in Game 1 despite JT putting up a 39/11/5 game.
Did Tatum play tonight?
Yes, Jayson Tatum played in Game 2 against the Sixers. With Joel Embiid back and swatting away every shot, the Celtics were glad to have their stars on the floor. However, the most noticeable thing Tatum did tonight was shoving a referee(yet again).
He ended the night with just 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers. These are not the kind of numbers a star of his caliber should put up. It could be because of his groin injury, or maybe, he had a rather off night. Whatever the case maybe, he played just 19 minutes, and that’s all the Cs needed as they blew away the Sixers in Game 2 by 34 points.
Jayson Tatum only played 19 MIN and scored 7 PTS tonight…
Celtics still won by 34 😅 pic.twitter.com/G7sFlFNizf
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 4, 2023
With the series now headed to Philly, the fans would hope Tatum does not put up another performance like this, if they want to see the success they had in the previous postseason.
