Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum missed Monday’s contest with a knee injury, but he may be back in the starting lineup as soon as Wednesday night — just in time for a massive matchup against the top team in the Western Conference.
Tatum is officially listed questionable on the latest Celtics injury report for Wednesday’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Celtics will need all hands on deck as they take on MVP-frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the one-seed Thunder. While Jalen Williams will be sidelined, this is still a huge game between leading contenders and could potentially be a preview of the NBA Finals, which are just a couple of months away.
Tatum’s excellent two-way play would provide a huge boost if he’s able to suit up at TD Garden on Wednesday. The muti-time All-NBA forward averages 27.1 points per game, complemented by 8.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He’s the leading scorer on this Celtics squad and is the shot-creator most capable of going bucket-for-bucket with Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch of a close game.
In the case that Tatum is unavailable, Jaylen Brown would assume the lead role. Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed time with an illness, has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable and could see a significant role. Additionally, either of Derrick White or Payton Pritchard could put up a high scoring line as seen in their dual 40-point performances last week.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.
