Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is listed as doubtful for Game 3 against the Orlando Magic with a bone bruise in his right wrist.
Tatum missed the first playoff game of his career when he didn’t play in Game 2. He had played in 114 consecutive postseason games until then.
The Celtics beat the Magic 109-100 to take a 2-0 series lead. The series now shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST.
“He’s dealing with a severe bone bruise,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said in an interview on Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub. “He’s day to day and progressively gotten a little bit better each day. [Wednesday] he went through all the protocols and did everything he could possibly do up until the last moment to try to play.”
Mazzulla’s tough love looks more awkward now. In Game 1, he stopped the trainer from tending to Tatum and yelled “Get up!” when the injury occurred.
“I trust his process, I trust his mindset, I trust the people around him that help put him in position,” Mazzulla said in the radio interview. “That’s all we can do.”
Celtics Find A Way Without Tatum
In Game 2, Boston showed just how deep this team is. Jaylen Brown easily stepped up to the plate and dropped 36 points. It’s a great sign for the team considering the knee issues entering the playoffs.
Kristaps Porzingis also had a strong performance and toughed it out despite an elbow to the forehead.
The likes of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Al Horford are all ready and able to contribute as well.
There was a decision to be made on who would start in place of Tatum. With the Magic being a relatively bigger team, Mazzulla opted for Horford.
Orlando still has its work cut out for them.
Can Magic Bounce Back At Home?
Outside of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, offense continues to plague the Magic. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored just three points in Game 2 while five bench players not named Anthony Black combined for six points.
The absence of Jalen Suggs has affected this team greatly while Mo Wagner is also out for the season.
That just won’t cut it moving forward and the big hope will be the old mantra that role players perform better at home.
The Magic finished the regular season 22-19 at home compared to 19-22 on the road.
