Jayson Tatum Will Not Return To Celtics Lineup Friday Night Vs. 76ers
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Jayson Tatum wait continues. The Celtics forward will not play Friday night when Boston finishes its two-game set with the 76ers in Philadelphia.
On Wednesday, head coach Brad Stevens gave Tatum a 50-50 chance of returning for Friday night's game, but the team announced Thursday night that Tatum would miss his fourth straight game due to health and safety protocols. Tatum is in the final stages of his return after testing positive for COVID-19 nearly two weeks ago, but his return will have to wait at least a few more days to see some game action.
After Friday's game in Philly, the Celtics will return home for a Sunday evening game against the Cavaliers before hitting the road for a game against the Bulls in Chicago on Monday night. It's possible Tatum could return Sunday, though Stevens has said the fourth-year star won't be getting his usual playing time in his first games back.
But any Tatum would good for the Celtics, who are 1-2 without their star player. In 10 games this season, Tatum has put up 26.9 points per game off 47.4 percent shooting to go with 7.1 rebounds per contest.