Jayson Tatum upgraded to questionable for Celtics-Suns
Jayson Tatum was initially listed as doubtful for Wednesday's Celtics-Suns game due to the left ankle sprain he suffered during Boston's win over the Kings on Monday night. But after participating in the team's shootaround, the Celtics star has been upgraded to questionable for the tilt.
Tatum now has a 50-50 shot at playing in Phoenix, which is pretty incredible considering the scene that played out Monday night in Sacramento. But he went through a full shootaround Wednesday morning, and looked pretty good out on the court with no noticeable limp.
Tatum doesn't like to sit out any games, though it would probably be in the Celtics' best interest to give him a game off (or rather, force him to take a night off) with just 10 games remaining in the regular season. Boston is essentially locked into the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed, and doesn't have much to play for the rest of the way.
Jayson Tatum's ankle injury
Tatum suffered the injury in the third quarter of Boston's 113-95 win over the Kings in Sacramento on Monday. He sank a three-pointer over Domantas Sabonis but landed on the foot of Sacramento big man, causing him to roll his left ankle.
Tatum fell to the floor in obvious pain and remained there for several minutes. Officials reviewed the foul and hit Sabonis with a Flagrant 1, which sent Tatum to the free-throw line.
The Celtics called a timeout after the review to give Tatum a little more time, and he ended up hitting one of his two freebies from the line. He was then subbed out, limped his way to the Celtics locker room, and did not return for the rest of the game.
Tatum finished his night with 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists over 26 minutes. He told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne the ankle was "just sore" after the game, and The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach reported that Tatum left Golden 1 Arena with a slight limp but did not need crutches or a walking boot.
Tatum does not like to sit out and has played in 66 of Boston's 72 games this season. He's averaging 27.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and a career-high 6.0 assists this year, and made his sixth straight All-Star squad a few months ago.
With the focus on winning another title, expect the Celtics to play it extra safe with Tatum and give him all the rest he needs before he sets foot on the court again. But given Tatum's desire to play any and every game on the schedule, it wouldn't be a huge shock if he takes the floor against the Suns, either.
