Jayson Tatum doubtful again for Celtics-Magic Game 3
The Boston Celtics will likely be without Jayson Tatum again for Friday night's Game 3 against the Magic in Orlando. Tatum was once again listed as doubtful with a bone bruise in his right wrist on Boston's injury report Thursday evening.
Tatum was also listed as doubtful before he sat out Wednesday night's Game 2 victory in Boston, which gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the playoff series. He watched from the Boston bench with his right wrist in a wrap as the Celtics beat the Magic, 109-100, off 36 points by Jaylen Brown.
Tatum led the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists during the regular season, but the team didn't miss him too much Wednesday night. In addition to Brown's big night, Boston got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis, 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists from Derrick White, and 14 points off the bench from Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard in Game 2. Jrue Holiday also played some stingy defense throughout the win, holding Magic star Paolo Banchero to seven points off 2-of-6 shooting when he was his primary defender. (Banchero scored a team-high 32 points for Orlando in Game 2.)
Game 2 was another physical bout between the two teams, which saw Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Al Horford dust it up briefly after the former tripped the latter inadvertently while going up the court. Porzingis was also left bloodied after taking an elbow from Gogo Bitadze under the basket in the second half.
The physicality from the Magic should ramp up even more with the series shifting to Orlando on Friday night.
Jayson Tatum's injury
Tatum was injured in Boston's Game 1 win Sunday afternoon, when he landed awkwardly on his wrist after being taken down by Magic forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a drive to the basket. Caldwell-Pope was hit with a Flagrant 1 foul for the play after an official review.
Tatum remained in the game and X-rays on his wrist after the win came back clean. But he sat out Game 2 -- the first postseason game he's missed over his eight-year career -- and is now unlikely to play in Friday night's Game 3.
The Celtics went 8-2 without Tatum in the lineup during the regular season, with both of those losses to the Magic.
