Days Ahead of Celtics vs Suns, Jayson Tatum Faces Bad Fall Mid Game

The Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum picked an unfortunate left-ankle injury in a 113-95 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Though the Boston Celtics are now 53-19 in the season after this win, Tatum getting injured at a crucial juncture of the season was not what most fans were expecting.

During the third quarter of the game, Tatum landed hard on Domantas Sabonis's foot while attempting for a three-point jumper. Unfortunately, Sabonis's foot stuck in Tatum's landing zone, causing the Boston superstar to hit a hard fall and crumple to the floor in pain.

Tatum was later escorted to the locker room after his free throws and did not return for the rest of the game as the injury was reported to be a left ankle sprain. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla assured Tatum “seemed to be OK” while icing the Celtics' MVP candidate's ankle.

Sabonis was served with flagrant-1 foul by the game officials for this incident. Freak accidents are not uncommon in the NBA, but definitely come as a roadblock, especially for teams pushing for title contention. Take for example, Kawhi Leonard's 2017 Western Conference Finals injury. Leonard got hurt when Zaza Pachulia closed out on his landing zone.

Such incidents, when a defender steps under an airborne shooter's landing zone is now considered a flagrant foul. However, the good news is that Boston has ample time to rest Tatum after this injury as they have very little left to play in the regular season. Though ankle injuries only take a matter of weeks to rehabilitate, all that Boston Celtics fans can now do is hope Tatum's injury doesn't linger into the postseason.

Will Jayson Tatum be eligible for NBA awards?

Jayson Tatum currently ranks fourth in the MVP race, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A major concern for the fans was if Tatum would be eligible for All-NBA awards, after averaging 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists through 45.4% of shooting this season. Fortunately, Tatum has played more than 65 games this season, meaning he would be eligible for All-NBA selections.

What lies ahead for the Boston Celtics?

Tatum finished the night with 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, despite an early exit. Though the injury would mean Tatum is ruled out of the squad for a few weeks, the Celtics might want to be cautious, especially since the playoffs are just a month away. As of now, the Celtics might want to focus on their three home games left for the season. Boston has been picking some easy wins on the road, even with their stars Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday being constants on the injury list. Though all hope is not lost, the Celtics might now try picking some Ws, since they are just five wins away from clinching the No.1 seed from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.