Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Utah Jazz? Latest on Boston Celtics star's status (Jan. 5)
Jayson Tatum is expected to play for the Boston Celtics when they host the Utah Jazz in their NBA regular season game on Friday night. Tatum is not in the Celtics' injury report ahead of their home matchup against the Jazz.
No Boston player is injured at the moment, but the Celtics could give Al Horford a rest against Utah, according to The Athletic's Jay King. Horford is currently listed as questionable, pending a final decision.
What happened to Jayson Tatum?
Jayson Tatum had a solid outing for the Boston Celtics in their last game against the OKC Thunder.
Tatum came close to a triple-double as he finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Kristaps Porzingis led the way for the Boston Celtics with 34 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fired 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep, six rebounds, seven assists, and one steal to lead the OKC Thunder past the Boston Celtics 127-123 in a huge home win between two of the NBA's hottest teams in the regular season.
Jayson Tatum's stats vs. Utah Jazz
Jayson Tatum has already played 12 games against the Jazz in his career. He averaged 22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per ballgame in their head-to-head play.
In the Celtics' last meeting against the Jazz last March, though, Tatum exploded for 39 points on 12 of 17 field goals, including 5 of 8 on 3s with 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The performance made up for his paltry 15-point game against the Jazz in their first meeting last season.
Boston Celtics aim to stay perfect at home vs. Utah Jazz
Getting staggered on the road against the OKC Thunder, the Boston Celtics return home to host the Utah Jazz.
The Celtics look to extend their impressive home record this regular season to 17-0, but for coach Joe Mazzulla, they must first address how to be steady defensively in the third quarter.
The Celtics gave up 40 third-quarter points to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, which sparked the latter's big-time home win.
"Can't have a 40-point quarter against a team like that," Mazzulla said. "They put pressure on you the entire game, so you have to have a high level of defensive activity, [and] connectivity to make multiple efforts the entire game."
Expect huge numbers, though, from Tatum and Porzingis again for the Celtics as they look to contain the Jazz.