The Boston Celtics might have suffered a major blow to their title hopes as franchise superstar Jayson Tatum went down with a severe ankle injury during the Celtics’ matchup against the Sacramento Kings.
Tatum shot a stepback three which was fully contested by Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis jumped forward to ensure the contest stayed through the stepback but Tatum wound up landing onto Sabonis’ foot after his jump shot, crumbling to the court and grabbing his ankle.
I hope Jayson Tatum is OK pic.twitter.com/WrdK6qxn8N
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 25, 2025
Tatum looked to be in immense pain as he had to be carried off the court by the Celtics’ staff while being serenaded with MVP chants by the TD Garden faithful who understand their season might have taken a major blow tonight.
MVP chants break out for Jayson Tatum in Sacramento after a bad looking injury
Prayers for JT man pic.twitter.com/Sx9X5vuziE
— 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙙 ☘️ (@BOSFred7) March 25, 2025
Tatum had played just under 27 minutes of this game before getting hurt, putting up 25 points (8-15 FG), seven rebounds, and eight assists before the injury.
The Celtics were ramping up for a major postseason push to try and retain their NBA Championship after their triumph in the 2024 NBA Finals. Despite losing ground to the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics have been favorites in the eyes of many for most of the year. However, they won’t be that if Tatum is unable to play in the Playoffs.
There’s no confirmation on what kind of injury Tatum has suffered, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be returning in the fourth quarter of what looks to be a solidified Celtics win. The updates will likely come tomorrow or later this week, but given what we’ve seen from other similar instances, this could be season-altering.
Even if Tatum has just suffered a sprain, it likely spells the end of the regular season for him, as the Celtics can’t afford to play him hurt over the next 12 games. Their Playoff spot is mostly solidified, so unnecessarily risking Tatum would be foolish.
Sprained ankles can sometimes take a couple of weeks to heal from, so the Celtics could conservatively hold Tatum out till the start of the first round or even the second round to ensure his ankle is 100% healed.
If this is anything worse than a sprained ankle, it might be curtains for the Celtics as a top-tier contender. They’ll still be one of the best teams in the East, but losing the player who’s leading them in points, rebounds, and assists this season won’t be an easy adjustment.
Tatum is averaging 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this season.
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