It’ll be an uphill battle for the Celtics in Game 7 as they look to avoid becoming just the 14th team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 series lead.
After being downgraded to questionable earlier this afternoon due to what the team listed as “left knee stiffness,” Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for Game 7 against the 76ers.
Tatum is the only Celtic who will not play.
“He just came in today with knee discomfort. The medical team and myself decided for him not to play," head coach Joe Mazzulla said. "Back of the knee stiffness. Day-to-day."
The five-time All-NBA selection has been dominant this series, averaging 23.3 points (47.5% FG, 36.5% 3PT), 10.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.2 steals. He leads the Celtics in assists (41), rebounds (64), and steals (7). He is second in points (140), trailing only Jaylen Brown (147).
He is the only Celtics starter with a positive plus-minus (+28).
Since making his season debut on March 6, Tatum has appeared in 22 of Boston’s 26 games. He exited with four minutes remaining in the third quarter of Game 6 and did not return.
The Celtics were 43-23 without Tatum this season.
“Throughout the year, we've developed different identities," Mazzulla said. "So we have an opportunity to be able to go to a couple of those, and we have an ability to go after something together.”
This will be the fourth postseason game Tatum has missed in his career.
“They’ve obviously played a majority of their season without him. They’ve played very, very well," 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said. "I think they’ve got enough games under their belt. They have guys they trust and rely on. All that kind of stuff.”
Tip-off is set for 7:30.
