Jayson Tatum injury update: Concerning news emerges on Celtics star vs. Magic

Celtics star Jayson Tatum is listed as doubtful to play in Boston’s Game 2 against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The Celtics are ahead 1-0 in the first-round series after winning 103-86 on Sunday.

In the win, Tatum tallied 17 points, 14 rebounds and four assists while shooting 8-22 from the field. Jayson suffered a right distal radius bone bruise (wrist injury) after attempting to stop his fall on a failed dunk attempt in the fourth quarter.

Tatum went down after Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope grabbed his arm when he went up for a point-blank finish. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Tatum’s MRI came back negative. Charania referred to the injury as a “pain-tolerance injury.”

For now, Celtics fans can only hope for a positive update. The Celtics and Magic will square off in Game 2 of the first-round playoffs series on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The Celtics are hosting the Magic inside TD Garden.

Thankfully for the Celtics, Tatum is far from the team’s only scoring option. Derrick White erupted for 30 points on Sunday while Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown also scored double figures.

The Celtics will have to tighten down their defense on Magic star Paolo Banchero in Game 2. In Game 1, Banchero notched 36 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on 14-27 shooting from the floor.

Jayson Tatum certainly didn’t receive any sympathy from his head coach after going down with his injury. Celtics headman Joe Mazulla could be seen yelling, “Get up,” while Tatum grabbed at his wrist in pain. When asked about the interaction on Tuesday, Mazulla gave a one-word description of his actions: “love.”

Not everybody was so tight-lipped about the unusual moment. Celtics veteran big man Al Horford provided a translation for Mazulla.

“Our team has taken after Joe and the way that he is,” Horford said. “We want to play hard; we want to compete, That’s the mindset that we carry. Joe is competitive — just as competitive as we are.”

In fairness to Mazulla, the Celtics are on a mission with little room for error. Boston is on the hunt to win back-to-back NBA Finals for the first time since 1969. Last season, the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks to claim the title for the first time since 2008.

Evidently, the victory wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy the talented team. With a win on Tuesday, the Celtics will be one step closer to accomplishing history.