The Boston Celtics fell to a 106-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of their 2026 NBA Playoffs first-round series matchup. The teams will now head into a win-or-go-home Game 7 on Saturday night at the Celtics’ TD Garden. A loss in Game 7 would make this the 14th time an NBA team blew a 3-1 series lead, so the Celtics have a lot riding on this clash.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum left Game 6 with a calf injury in the third quarter. As head coach Joe Mazzulla chose to rest all starters heading into the fourth quarter, Tatum returned to the locker room to get additional treatment on his calf. While coach Mazzulla made it clear that Tatum wasn’t injured and it was a precautionary measure after Game 6, speculation has continued over Tatum’s status.
ESPN’s Shams Charania shared the first major update on Tatum’s status on Friday morning, revealing that all the chatter indicates that Tatum is absolutely fine and will be good to go for Game 7.
“It’s positive right now. Everybody in Boston is downplaying everything about this, even being an injury at all. Joe Mazzulla denied that it was an injury at all. Tatum said after the game that it was just stiffness that he felt in his leg. I’m told that he spoke with teammates after the game and said he was fine and good to go. So, the expectation in Boston is that in Game 7, Jayson Tatum is good to go.”
Tatum put up 17 points (6-13 FG), 11 rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes of action, getting treatment in the locker room for the entirety of the fourth quarter. The Celtics were down 19 points at the end of the third quarter, so it makes sense that they chose to protect their players for a Game 7 instead of chasing an improbable comeback.
Tatum is averaging 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in this series so far. His effort on the glass has been extremely useful as he clearly is taking a secondary role on offense next to Jaylen Brown, who’s averaging 24.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
Given that Tatum returned in under a year from a torn Achilles, any suspected calf injury will raise concerns about his health. With how positive the Celtics seemed about Tatum’s health after the game and with this update from Shams on Friday, it seems extremely likely that Tatum plays with the Celtics’ season on the line on Saturday.
The last time Tatum played in a Game 7 against the 76ers was in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, where he scored 50 points and eliminated Philadelphia in the second round. The circumstances are different now, as the 76ers are the ones riding the momentum of a series comeback instead of the Celtics.
