Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum appeared to hurt his right wrist during their 103-86 win in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon, but he didn’t sound particularly concerned about it afterward.
“It’s all right,” Tatum told reporters. “I just fell on it, landed on it.”
Tatum’s wrist was “throbbing for a second,” he said, but then “it kind of went away.” He said he got an X-ray after the game and it came back “clean.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Tatum used a screen from Al Horford off the ball to get some space, and took a pass from Jrue Holiday that led him right to the basket. As Tatum elevated, he was met in the air by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. The Magic duo sent him crashing to the ground, and he landed awkwardly on his right wrist.
The initial foul was called on Caldwell-Pope. It was upgraded to a flagrant after a lengthy review.
“The illegal contact by Pope and then the ensuing follow through to a player in the air and vulnerable, with a potential for injury, is upgraded to a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1,” crew chief Zach Zarba said during the broadcast.
Tatum remained in the game, though he did miss both of the ensuing free throws. He got his wrist taped and actually had some of his best scoring moments of the day after the scary fall, but appeared to be favoring the wrist as the fourth quarter progressed. He finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, but shot just 8 of 22 from the field.
When Tatum checked out, he kept his right hand by his side and only used his left hand to high-five his teammates. In the closing seconds, the broadcast showed him grabbing at his wrist and flexing it as he sat on the bench.
The series continues with Game 2 is on Wednesday. Judging by his comments, Tatum will be available.
