Despite the absence of their best player, Jayson Tatum, due to a wrist injury sustained in Game 1, the Boston Celtics got the job done again in Game 2. Though the Orlando Magic hung around, Boston led for the final three quarters in a convincing 109-100 win to go up 2-0.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 36 big points, but five other Celtics also scored 9+ to make up for Tatum’s absence in a real team effort.
But as the saying goes, role players play a lot better at home, and the Celtics are taking the show on the road to Disney World for Game 3 on Friday night. That means the status of their star player, Tatum, will be key as the series moves to Orlando for the next two matchups.
Jayson Tatum fell hard on his wrist after this play. The concern would be
-Wrist fracture (Needs to be ruled out with X-Ray
-Wrist sprain (ligament issue)
It is HIS shooting hand so this can be an issue moving forward pic.twitter.com/X7lLieoziG
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 20, 2025
It’s been five days since Game 1, when Tatum suffered that right wrist injury after a nasty flagrant foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope brought him down hard on his shooting arm.
Jayson Tatum injury status for Game 3
Jayson Tatum was listed as doubtful for Game 2 a full day before the contest, indicating the severity of his right wrist injury. However, he wasn’t fully ruled out until about half an hour before tip-off.
While that could be taken as an encouraging sign, it seems like it was more a product of Tatum’s competitive drive to give himself every opportunity to get out there. Unfortunately, he is likely to have to sit out at least one more game. The Celtics listed him as doubtful again with that right wrist bruise on Friday morning’s NBA injury report.
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In even more concerning news, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla characterized the bone bruise as “severe” while doing a Boston radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub on Friday morning.
“He’s dealing with a severe bone bruise. He’s day to day. He’s progressively gotten a little bit better each day. (Wednesday) he went through all the protocols and did everything he could possibly do up until the last moment to try to play.”
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Boston’s second-best player, Jaylen Brown, who was not on the initial injury report, was a later addition on Friday. He’s now listed as questionable with a knee injury. And if you know anything about injuries and timing, you know that a late addition is as ominous as it gets.
With Tatum likely out, Brown on the fence, and Jrue Holiday also listed as questionable with a hamstring strain, the Celtics could be in trouble for Game 3. The injuries are really piling up, so they’ll be thanking their lucky stars they were able to nab Game 2 to get that 2-0 cushion. It looks like they’re going to need it.
Stay tuned on Sporting News for the latest on Tatum and Brown’s game statuses in the lead up to Game 3 on Friday night in Orlando.
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