WATCH: Jayson Tatum rolls his ankle after Bam Adebayo pulls off a Joe Mazzulla
Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle after Bam Adebayo prevented him from shooting a warm-up shot after the whistle during the second half of Game 5. With Tatum and the Celtics, apart from Derrick White, struggling to score from the floor, Adebayo wasn't letting Tatum get a shot off.
It was similar to what C's coach, Joe Mazzulla, did a few weeks ago, explaining that he wouldn't let a player get into a rhythm. Mazzulla did it against the Suns when he contested Royce O'Neal's shot during a timeout on Mar. 14.
However, Adebayo's contest ended with him in Tatum's landing space, leading to the latter brutally rolling his ankle. It was a controversial call as the Celtics believed it deserved to be a Flagrant, which was eventually the call, while Heat fans argued an after-the-whistle play shouldn't have been reviewed.
The original whistle was on Patty Mills after he appeared to shove Derrick White on a screen. However, the situation ended with Jayson Tatum rolling his ankle. Fortunately for the Celtics, it didn't limit their All-Star forward from continuing to play.
Celtics take 3-1 series lead despite Jayson Tatum's struggles and Bam Adebayo's double-double
The Celtics took a 3-1 series lead against the Heat after claiming a 102-88 win, sweeping the Heat in road games. Jayson Tatum tallied 20 points, but he should only 4 of 14. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown shot 38.9% to score his 17, Jrue Holiday went 4 of 10, and Kristaps Porzingis went 1 of 5.
However, that didn't matter much as Derrick White kept Boston afloat with his stellar effort offensively. White scored 38 points, shooting 15 of 26, including 8 of 15 from 3. That proved decisive as the Heat put together a solid defensive effort akin to their Game 2 win in Boston.
Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo also had a monster night with 25 points and 17 rebounds on 50.0% shooting, while Tyler Herro and Caleb Marton scored 18. However, the Heat didn't get enough contributions from the rest of the group.
Miami shot 40.7%, including only nine of 33 from deep, allowing Boston to keep its advantage intact. The series shifts back to Boston for Game 5, and it's all but likely over as the Heat don't seem to have the offensive talent to get past, especially in Jimmy Butler's absence.