A dangerous closeout by Domantas Sabonis sent Jayson Tatum to the locker room during Monday night’s Celtics-Kings game.
While attempting a third-quarter 3-pointer at the Golden1 Center, Tatum landed on Sabonis’ foot and turned his left ankle. The Celtics superstar rolled on the court in visible pain and had to be helped to the bench.
Sabonis, Sacramento’s All-Star center, was called for a Flagrant 1 foul for sliding his foot into Tatum’s landing zone.
After a Boston timeout, Tatum was able to walk back onto the court and take his free throws. But he then walked straight down the tunnel toward Boston’s locker room.
Minutes later, the Celtics announced Tatum was doubtful to return with a left ankle sprain. He was on triple-double pace before the injury, tallying 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting (5-of-9 from three), eight assists and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. The Celtics led 79-68 at the time.
Tatum’s status now will be the No. 1 Celtics storyline as the playoffs approach. Boston has 10 regular-season games remaining and is all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks or Orlando Magic likely awaiting in the first round.