Celtics’ Last-Minute Jayson Tatum Injury Update Explained by Coach Mazzulla After Loss to Magic

Once in a while, the Boston Celtics fall short to the underdogs. Tonight, C’s played against the Orlando Magic, a team that doesn’t have three of its core players on the floor and still suffered an embarrassing 108-104 loss. Notably, the Celts also went in short-handed without Jayson Tatum, but they are still the most competitive team on the floor. Nevertheless, things didn’t go in their favor and Coach Joe Mazzulla candidly opened up about the team’s unfortunate loss.

First of all, Coach Mazzulla agreed that the Celts were a competitive team, despite Jayson Tatum’s absence. He added, “We have enough. I mean, obviously, you want to have one of your best players…But it’s not really a challenge. It’s just, we did what we had to do. We got off to a good start, we just had a tough third quarter,” during the post-game presser. Most importantly, Mazzulla revealed that he found out that Tatum wasn’t going to lace up right before the tip-off.

Ahead of the game, an injury update stated that the team had listed Jayson Tatum in a questionable category, citing a non-Covid illness. While he was expected to come off the bench, as the team didn’t rule him out of action, the team played the entire game without the superstar. After the team removed him from the injury report, the superstar headed to the locker room to start the game, but he ended up only sitting on the bench, cheering for the team.

Notably, the Celts have proven that they can do the business without JT in the lineup. In the last season, the C’s took the court without Taco Jay 8 times and managed to win 7 of them. They lost a close one against the Pacers (131-133). Tonight, it turned out to be that odd day where the defending champs couldn’t hold off an underdog side.

Brown’s step up goes in vain in Jayson Tatum’s absence

The reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown took the responsibility on his shoulder in JT’s absence. He dropped game-high 35 points with 8 rebounds but it went in vain due to lack of support from the rest of the team. Tatum’s absence certainly played a role in the team the C’s defeat. Before we go into the details, we have to give it up for the Magic’s defense.

The Orlando side didn’t worry about not having their core offensive units on the floor. They instead focused on the defensive brilliance. The team didn’t let any air pass through their tight defense and it reflected heavily on the Celtics’ offense. They recorded a season-low assist in a game with only 13 assists in 37 made field goals.

On the other hand, Joe Mazzulla had to go with the starting lineup for the extended minutes in the final quarter, traveling on a deficit. Had JT played the game, Mazzulla would have had the option to rotate his players. Is JT the crucial element in the Celts’ championship run? Let us know in the comments.