Inside The Celtics

Jayson Tatum Gave an Update on His Sprained Ankle After Celtics’ Collapse to Warriors

Jayson Tatum returned after rolling his ankle early before the Golden State Warriors later snapped the Boston Celtics' win streak.

Rob Greene

John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, per usual, had themselves a thriller when the Warriors' erased Boston's five-game win streak. Perhaps there was a sigh of relief early on as Jayson Tatum left the game in the first quarter with a sprained ankle but was shortly able to return to begin the second.

Jaylen Brown was primarily in control, pushing the pace in transition, getting out, and running to boost the tempo like he had desired. He had a dominant night before taking his foot off the gas in crunch time. Al Horford made his impact felt in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, and Neemias Queta had what might have been his best showing of the season with his first NBA double-double.

Derrick White was able to carry most of the load with his continued brilliance, with 30 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, hitting seven threes on 11-24 shooting. He hit three triples and had three blocks in the first quarter, with some of the game's biggest rejections down the stretch pestering Stephen Curry. White hit some of the Celtics' most-needed threes in the clutch when Curry began to take over down the stretch, giving the Warriors the lead; his last put the Celtics up 121-118.

Tatum did display some of his offensive prowess, but similar to last May's nightmare of a game 7 scenario against the Miami Heat, he was not moving or defending with as much power. He finished with 15 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds, shooting 29.4 percent from the field.

"I mean, it's swollen," the three-time All-NBA forward said. "I just sprained my ankle in the first quarter, stepped on somebody's foot, rolled on it, and, you know, went to the back to get it looked at."

He was honest about how it affected him throughout the game.

"I mean, yeah, not to make any excuses, but when you sprain your ankle, it kind of swells up and just stiff. It just makes it a little tougher to move, but I still was out there. I feel like if you go out there and play, you can't make any excuses."

The Celtics will be hosted by the Sacramento Kings tonight as they look to get back on track in the second leg of the back-to-back. Porzingis should be returning with Horford likely resting; Tatum is not on the injury report as of right now.

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla Assesses Celtics' Collapse vs. Warriors: 'Played with Great Purpose'

Shades of 2022 Finals as Celtics Can't Close vs. Warriors

Celtics Expected to be Active in the Buyout Market

Celtics Have Reportedly Shown 'Great Interest' in Pistons' Center

Jaylen Brown Discusses Growing Leadership Role with Celtics: 'I've Embraced That'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'

Celtics Utilize Speed Advantage in Run Away Win vs. Magic: 'It Makes the Game Easier'

Derrick White Praises Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's Impact That 'Doesn't Show Up on the Stat Sheet'

Jayson Tatum Praises Kristaps Porzingis for Allowing Celtics to Spin the Dial Defensively

An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Published
Rob Greene
ROB GREENE

@RobGreeneNBA

Home/News