The TD Garden crowd collectively gasped when Jayson Tatum went down and grabbed his shoulder late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Miami Heat. The Boston Celtics star appeared to be in serious pain before heading to the locker room.
Smart makes Pierce-like return after leaving Game 3 with injury
Luckily for the Cs, Tatum was able to shrug off the injury and returned to the pitch minutes later. Head coach Ime Udoka dismissed Tatum’s injury as a sting, which is far more encouraging than it initially looked.
Tatum explained what happened in the play and why he left the place briefly.
“My neck caught in a weird position,” Tatum said. “Of course I went under. I felt pain and discomfort in my neck and down my arm. Went and had it checked out. I started to get the feeling again, had the doctors check it out and decided to give it a try.”
It sounds like Tatum doesn’t have to worry about missing time, which obviously bodes well for Boston’s chances of advancing to the NBA Finals. To do that, however, the 24-year-old will need to up the ante for the rest of the series against Miami.
Game 3 was his worst game of the postseason to date, as he only scored 10 points while shooting 3-of-14 from the floor. He turned the ball over six times.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics will look to level the series at 2-2 in front of the TD Garden crowd.