Boston Celtics lose magic touch: 3 takeaways from loss to Orlando

Status of Jayson Tatum

It didn’t take long before the Boston Celtics got their first scare of the night.

Early in the first quarter, Jayson Tatum left the game with a left shin contusion and did not return to the game.  As more of a precautionary measure and to make sure he is primed for the playoffs, Brad Stevens also decided to rest the second-year forward for the remainder of the game.

"“Tatum had a shin contusion that evidently he had before the game, and I didn’t know about it,” Stevens said.  “But he just said it felt a little off when he jumped, so, you know, hopefully it’s nothing major, but he’ll get checked out tonight and tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”"

While Marcus Smart’s availability for the playoffs is important, Tatum’s availability and health are much more important because of what he can do on the offensive side of the ball.

In leading the team in scoring in Friday night’s big win over the Indiana Pacers,  Jayson Tatum showed an aggressiveness to the rim that will make him just about unstoppable when he also has his jump shot going.

Needless to say, both injuries are something to watch over the next week as the Boston Celtics prepare to make a deep playoff run and redeem the up-and-down regular season that will end with the team not even reaching 50 wins.