Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Philadelphia 76ers? Exploring Celtics superstar's availability for preseason game (Oct. 12)
Jayson Tatum is available to play for the Boston Celtics as they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday for their third preseason game ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season. The superstar guard last played for the Celtics in their previous two games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, helping the team kick off their preseason with a 2-0 record.
Tatum averaged 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists while playing limited minutes in the two games last week. The Celtics will play three more games, including Saturday's matchup against the Sixers, ahead of the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Jayson Tatum shares thoughts on entering the 2024-25 NBA season as defending champions
Speaking in front of a young crowd at the Maynard Fine Arts Theatre last month, Jayson Tatum shared his thoughts on entering the 2024-25 NBA season as the defending champions.
“[Coach] Joe Mazzulla, he had a great quote the other day,” Tatum said. “He said, we’re not defending anything. We’re chasing another championship. We enjoyed it all summer. We enjoyed it during training camp. I can’t wait for opening night to get our rings and see the banner being raised."
"But honestly, after opening night, we have to put it behind us. It’s a new season. Last year was last year, we accomplished something special. We’ve got to figure out a way to get better. We wanted to approach the game with the same mindset and we did an amazing job of that last year."
Jayson Tatum concluded his 2023-24 NBA campaign with his first championship as the Boston Celtics secured their 18th title. The five-time NBA All-Star averaged 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.1 steals in their 16-3 postseason run to lead the Celtics to their first championship in 16 years.
While he enters the 2024-25 campaign with elevated expectations, Tatum will look to chase one game at a time as the Celtics face the Sixers on Saturday for their third preseason game.
Jayson Tatum stats vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Jayson Tatum has played 25 regular season games against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning 15 of them while averaging 20.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. In the postseason, he has faced the 76ers in 16 games, winning 12 and averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
The reigning NBA champion faced Philadelphia four times last season, with the Celtics defeating the Sixers 3-1 in their regular season series. During those matchups, Tatum averaged 23.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.0% from the field.
How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics?
The Sixers versus Celtics preseason matchup is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The game will be regionally aired on NBC Sports Philadelphia and can also be live-streamed via NBA League Pass.