How Jayson Tatum's injury motivated breakout Celtics rookie vs. Kings

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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum prides himself on his ability to take the court night after night. And even though the Celtics didn’t have much to play for on the second night of a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings, he was there on Monday to lead his squad to a 113-95 road victory. However, the six-time All-Star’s outing was cut short, as Tatum turned his left ankle in the third quarter and never returned.

The reigning NBA champion rose up for a 3-pointer with 3:35 remaining in the third frame, but when it was time to come down, he landed right on the foot of Kings big man Domantas Sabonis. Tatum instantly fell to the floor and grabbed his ankle (the same one he injured in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals), a scary sight for a guy who prides himself on durability and shaking off injuries.

Jayson Tatum went down in significant pain after this closeout by Domantas Sabonis.

Flagrant 1 on Sabonis. pic.twitter.com/Cnh0QfcQyo

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) March 25, 2025

In fact, Tatum has played at least 64 games in every season of his eight-year NBA career, with Monday marking his 65th game of the 2024-25 campaign. After sinking one of the two free throws he was rewarded for Sabonis’ reckless closeout, Tatum went to the locker room and the C’s were left with a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum is headed to the locker room after landing on Domantas Sabonis' foot

(via @MarcJSpears)pic.twitter.com/lEYtoZrY9n

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2025

With Tatum out, who still managed a game-high 25 points in 26 minutes, the Celtics were forced to fend for themselves against a Kings squad that should have had plenty of motivation to fight. Sacramento would qualify for the Play-In Tournament at the moment, yet it’s less than a game away from falling out of postseason contention.

Couple that incentive with an absent Tatum and a banged-up Jaylen Brown — who was active but fresh off a knee injury — and the Kings seemed to have an opening. Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman was determined to deny Sacramento’s opportunity, especially in the wake of Tatum’s injury, via Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston.

“I mean, obviously we wanted to rally for him,” he said in his on-court, postgame interview. “He’s our guy. We think he’s gonna be ok. But, we wanted to get the ‘W. ‘ He was playing really well before he had to go out, so we definitely wanted to get the win.”

Baylor Scheierman to @tvabby on the Celtics wanting to rally for Jayson Tatum after he left the game with an ankle injury:

"I mean, obviously we wanted to rally for him. He's our guy. We think he's gonna be ok. But we wanted to get the W." pic.twitter.com/OiNMPrXjBz

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 25, 2025

The 24-year-old meant what he said. On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Scheierman drained a 3-pointer to push the Celtics’ lead to 13. Four minutes later, he swooped in off a miss from Celtics guard Jrue Holiday and tapped it out to Derrick White. The Celtics starter thought about a 3-pointer but instead decided to reward Scheierman for his hard work, finding the rookie in the corner for another triple to make it 100-87 with 7:47 remaining.

Playing with purpose pic.twitter.com/ElFcjL7crZ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 25, 2025

Scheierman’s extra effort sparked a 12-0 run, virtually clinching the contest for Boston. He finished with nine points, seven rebounds (a career-high), two steals, and one block in 28 minutes off the bench.

Following the double-digit win, the Celtics have earned six consecutive victories, which is enough for the longest active winning streak in the Eastern Conference. They’re now 53-19 overall and in second place in the East with an eight-game lead on the New York Knicks.

Despite an 11-1 record in March, the Celtics still find themselves 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and will need timely assistance from other teams to somehow overtake first place. Regardless of how the Cavs fare, the C’s will control what they can control and prepare for the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday evening. Even though Tatum reportedly averted disaster on Monday, he may sit versus Phoenix with the start of the 2025 NBA Playoffs less than a month away. It’s no secret that he’s essential to the Celtics’ quest for back-to-back titles.

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