Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been listed as doubtful to play in Game 2 of the team’s first-round series vs. Orlando on Wednesday, as Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets. Tatum’s injury designation is a right distal radius bone bruise.
The Celtics star injured his right wrist in the fourth quarter of Game 1 on Sunday when he drove to the basket and was met by Magic defenders Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. The Orlando duo collided with the Celtics star and sent him to the floor and into the basket stanchion (Twitter video link via ESPN).
Tatum grabbed his right wrist and remained on the floor for some time. He was eventually able to get up and remain in the game, but he seemed to be favoring that wrist for the rest of the night. Following Boston’s victory, the six-time All-Star underwent an X-ray, which he said came back clean.
While Tatum initially expressed optimism about his availability going forward, Shams Charania of ESPN reported today during a SportsCenter appearance (Twitter video link) that the 27-year-old underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with a bone bruise. Charania referred to it as a “pain tolerance” injury that could linger, adding that Tatum’s availability for Game 2 is “up in the air.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters earlier on Tuesday that Tatum is considered day-to-day, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com.
If Tatum is unable to play on Wednesday, the Celtics figure to lean more heavily on starters Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis for offense, with Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser among the reserves who could see more significant roles.