Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla gives injured Jayson Tatum rough treatment as superstar grimaces in pain
Jayson Tatum falling during Game 1 of the Boston Celtics-Orlando Magic first-round series left fans worried. While visuals caught fans at TD Garden concerned for their star, Joe Mazzulla had a different reaction.
Mazzulla chose not to coddle Tatum while he was clearly in pain. The coach was spotted instructing the team trainer to not even attend to the 6-foot-8 player.
“Get up,” Mazzulla yelled at Tatum from the team bench.
Jayson Tatum took a hard fall, landing on his wrist after a mid-air collision with Wendell Carter Jr and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. After reviewing the play, Caldwell-Pope was called for a flagrant 1 foul.
“It’s all right. I just fell on it, landed on it. … It was throbbing for a second then kind of went away,” Jayson Tatum spoke about his wrist during the postgame press conference.
Fortunately, the former Duke Blue Devil avoided any serious injury, remaining in the game. He finished the night with 17 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, helping the Cs secure a 103-86 victory in their series opener.
Joe Mazzulla lauds Jayson Tatum for his defense amidst an off offensive night
Jayson Tatum had a subpar offensive production in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic. The 27-year-old shot 36.4% from the field, including a forgettable 1-8 shooting display from beyond the arc.
Joe Mazzulla acknowledged the offensive woes but recognized how Tatum impacted the game in other ways.
“Obviously, he probably didn’t play the efficient offensive game that he would have liked. … That never got in the way of his defense and his physicality and his rebounding. That’s the most important thing. He’s going to score, he’s going to put us in position to be successful, but you’ve got to answer the call defensively, physicality-wise,” Mazzulla said.
Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis also joined Tatum, having quiet offensive outings. The All-Stars combined for only 21 points on 7-22 FG. Derrick White carried the team to a win, going on a 30-point explosion on 55.6% shooting.
The Celtics have a two-day break ahead of Game 2. The trio of Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis will be expected to redeem themselves on Wednesday night, helping the Celtics take a 2-0 series advantage.