Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight? The Celtics’ latest injury report as the defending champs looks to be coming back against the Nets

“Certain calls I feel you can’t miss. Your job is to protect the guys on the field. I could have been out for six weeks. It (things) are frustrating.” Jayson Tatum was clearly unhappy in the aftermath of the recent matchup between the Celtics and the Bucks. After putting up some memorable scoring during his team’s recent regular season run, the last thing he would have wanted was to suffer an injury. Unfortunately, the Celtics star ended up twisting his ankle after Giannis Antetokounmpo made contact with him. Currently holding a 9-3 winning record, the last time the defending champions want is to lose their leading scorer so early. Fortunately, despite what Tatum claimed “could have been out for six weeks”his affliction will not keep him away from the court for the time being.

Earlier today, ‘The Athletic’ reporter Jay King gave an update on Jayson Tatum’s availability status. The Boston Celtics will next face the Brooklyn Nets in less than 24 hours. With the Hawks game recently concluded, the 26-year-old won’t have much time to rest. Despite this, King revealed that “Jayson Tatum said his ankle is a little sore, but he will play tomorrow.” The injury didn’t stop him from dropping 20 points in 37 minutes during the Hawks game, and it doesn’t look like it will stop him against Ben Simmons and co.

After suffering the left ankle sprain during the Bucks game, Jayson Tatum ended up aggravating his injury during the last game. The same thing happened when the player unexpectedly ended up landing on Larry Nance Jr.’s foot while trying to block the Atlanta Hawks’ Center/Power Forward. With 4:29 left in the fourth quarter, Tatum bounced around a bit, reportedly in pain, and continued to play. Through this action, the Jordan Brand signature put himself at risk of further aggravating his ankle. But looking at how the Celtics ended up losing to the Hawks 117-116, a margin of 1 point, Jayson Tatum may have formed the belief that he can’t rest when the team needs him.

“It was like two minutes left in the game, so it was just a matter of pushing through” said the 26-year-old Celtics champion, later explaining his decisions.

Jayson Tatum may still be far from fully recovered from his sprain, raising questions about how he will perform against the Brooklyn Nets. But if history is any guide, Ben Simmons and his team can undoubtedly expect stiff competition ahead.

How has Jayson Tatum performed against the Brooklyn Nets in the last 10 games?

During Jayson Tatum’s 7 years in the NBA, he has faced the Brooklyn Nets 26 times! The odds haven’t worked out too well for the Nets during these games. After all, Tatum and co lead them with an 18-8 winning record. With the exception of a matchup back in November 2023, the defending champions have won 9 of the last 10 games. In all of those matchups, Jayson Tatum’s contribution was nothing short of memorable.

Over the last 10 games against the Nets, the 5x NBA All-Star is averaging an impressive 28 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He accomplished this by shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.9% from beyond the arc and an outstanding 90.9% from the free throw line. Not once did his scoring fall below 20 points, and he even had a 41-point performance in a matchup back in February.

In the latest Celtics-Nets showdown on Friday, Tatum’s performance was especially praised. Not only did he contribute 33 points to the scoreboard, but his three-pointer at the end of regulation also helped save the Celtics. After witnessing that moment, it’s safe to say that no fan would want to see Jayson Tatum absent from the upcoming game.