Jayson Tatum injury: Celtics star talks leg issue from Game 6 loss to Sixers

PHILADELPHIA — Jayson Tatum carried the Celtics early in Game 6 against the Sixers. But he appeared to suffer a left leg injury as he was limited in the second half of Thursday’s game at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tatum briefly went to the locker room in the third quarter before making his way back to the C’s bench.

However, Tatum’s night was done. He checked out with 4:03 left in the third quarter then didn’t return to the game. Tatum spoke about his leg issue after the Celtics’ Game 6 loss to the Sixers. He expects to play in Game 7 on Saturday in Boston.

“Y’all probably saw when I went to the back,” Tatum said. “So I was on the bike. My leg was just a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But just kind of assessing the moment like the game was a little out of reach. We took the starters out.”

It doesn’t sound like a serious injury, but it is something to monitor going into Game 7. Tatum was back on the C’s bench by the start of the fourth quarter, but he didn’t check in. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla unloaded his bench with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter with the Celtics down 23 points. The reserves cut into the Sixers lead to make it interesting, but weren’t able to mount a serious comeback attempt.

Tatum finished Thursday’s game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists on 6-for-13 shooting. He was a huge reason why the C’s were able to hang around despite looking discombobulated for most of the night. Tatum played 29 minutes in Game 6 before calling it an early night.

“It was my other leg,” Tatum said. “So not the one I injured last year (with the ruptured right Achilles tendon). I wasn’t like overly concerned. I came out at four minutes like I was supposed to and just kind of assessed the game. And they took the starters out fairly early in the fourth quarter. So yeah, it was not like that big of a deal.”

The Celtics once led the Sixers 3-1 in the first-round series, but they’ve dropped their last two games. In Game 5, an 11-point fourth quarter was Boston’s undoing. In Game 6, a 14-point third quarter dug them into too deep a hole. The Sixers have come out to play the last two games, which comes after the 32-point loss in Game 4.

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But the Celtics still have one more shot to beat the Sixers to end their season. It’s just that the C’s now face an elimination game While the Celtics have home-court advantage, that hasn’t necessarily been a strength in past playoff runs. Regardless, it’ll be a decisive Game 7 on Saturday at the Garden.

The winner of Saturday’s game will face the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. The C’s would rematch the Knicks after last year’s playoffs, which Boston lost to New York 4-2. The Sixers would complete the 3-1 series comeback over the C’s with a victory.

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