The Celtics are set to face the Thunder tonight in arguably their toughest matchup against a Western Conference opponent so far this regular season.
And yet, Jayson Tatum, who returned to action after a 10-month absence due to an Achilles injury, will not be available to play tonight due to the management of his recovery.
Payton Pritchard, who was initially listed as questionable, was upgraded to available for the Thunder game. But Tatum was downgraded from questionable to unavailable in their latest injury report.
NBA fans saw this decision as a direct shot at keeping Jayson Tatum safe from Lu Dort, who has recently come under public scrutiny for his questionable style of play, especially when defending the best players on opposing teams.
Jayson Tatum (Lu Dort management) ruled out Thursday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) March 12, 2026
They took to social media and flooded it with reactions about how the Celtics seem to have sidelined Tatum tonight in an attempt to keep him safe from Dort.
“League’s dirtiest player.”
“Some guys think Underdog is joking lol, this is definitely the part of the injury report that the Celtics just aren’t saying out loud.”
“Smart move, Dort would’ve been diving at his knees all game.”
“Dort was gonna suplex that n***a if he played.”
“Ducking the Rottweiler, I see.”
“Lu Dort is getting treated like he’s the new Draymond Green.”
Tatum has played in all three games that the Celtics have played since his return. He is currently averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 39.3% from the field this season.
While one can argue that an Achilles injury is the hardest to bounce back from in basketball, Tatum returned to action to be back in his groove by the time the postseason begins. There is no need for him to play all the games to do that.
The Celtics (43-22) are currently second in the East, 3.5 games behind the Pistons (43-18) in first. They do not need to desperately win tonight, but would love to do so in their quest to catch up with Detroit.
Therefore, Tatum does not need to play in a matchup that could potentially be a risk to his injury recovery. And ever since the playoffs last, it has become a common trend for players to openly target their opponent’s best players’ injuries.
Players like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and even Ja Morant have suffered through the aftermath of Lu Dort’s aggressive defense. Most recently, Dort elbowed Jokic in the face and tried to trip him on two separate occasions within a week.
Jokic is notably recovering from a knee injury that he suffered earlier this season, which puts him at risk of being ineligible for the MVP award. Hence, Dort suffered the wrath of Jokic and the Nuggets’ head coach, David Adelman, after the game.
Dort is fully aware of his reputation but has repeatedly said that his defense is not malicious in any way.
As a result, the NBA fans feel that the Lu Dort matchup is an unspoken factor being considered by the Celtics’ medical staff for sidelining Tatum tonight. While officially, the Celtics star is out for tonight’s matchup due to right Achilles injury management.
Do you think the Celtics are intentionally ducking the Dort matchup for Tatum? Or was this simply a precautionary measure without considering his potential matchup tonight? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
