Jayson Tatum’s status for Wednesday’s Celtics playoff game is in question after his hard fall late in Game 1.
Tatum landed on his right wrist after being fouled by Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s first-round series opener. He remained in the game, which Boston went on to win 103-86, and downplayed the injury afterward.
But Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum was limited in Tuesday’s practice.
“He was able to do some stuff,” Mazzulla said. “He was sore after the game. He’s gotten a little better today. He was able to do through some on-court work and go from there.”
Asked whether Tatum would be available for Game 2 on Wednesday, Mazzulla replied: “Day to day.”
Tatum typically sticks around for extra work after practice, but he was not part of that group Tuesday, which included the likes of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis.
In his post-practice news conference, veteran big man Al Horford took issue with the foul that injured Tatum, saying Caldwell-Pope crossed a line by grabbing the Celtics star’s elbow while he elevated for a dunk attempt. Orlando led the NBA in fouls committed during the regular season and is known for its physical style of defense.
“Yes, there was something extra,” Horford said. “It was about the second or third time that he, especially KCP, went at him in that way. So, yeah.”
After checking on Tatum after his fall, Horford had words with Caldwell-Pope, who was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on the play.
“It just reminds you of what the playoffs are and the intensity that you play with,” Horford said. “We’re all competing. We’re playing hard. There’s a level to it. In the regular season, you probably don’t see it as consistent. In the playoffs, there’s a lot of it. That’s just a reminder.”
At the other end of the court, Mazzulla appeared to yell at Tatum to “Get up!” while holding back a member of the Celtics’ training staff. Asked why he did that, the coach said: “Love.”
“I think at the end of the day, I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with the guys,” Mazzulla said. “I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with (Tatum). And you love guys in different ways. But everything is built on love. Everything is built on the relationship that we have, their self-expression, they allow me to be who I am. And they trust, we have a trust for each other, but it all starts with love. And so in that moment, it looks different in different moments, but I appreciate who he is as a competitor and our team in that moment but it all starts with that.”
Tatum struggled as a shooter in Game 1 (8-for-22, 1-for-8 from 3-point range, 0-for-4 on free throws) but was otherwise effective, finishing with 17 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in a team-high 40 minutes. The Celtics outscored the Magic by 23 points with him on the floor.
“No matter what a hard foul is, we’re just gonna get up and play ball and just check it back up,” said guard Payton Pritchard, adding that he isn’t intimidated by Orlando’s physicality. “Obviously, they fouled him hard and then he had a little fall, but It’s not going to stop us from what we’re trying to achieve. It’s not going to knock us off our path.”
As for the notion that less talented teams, like the seventh-seeded Magic, can limit the Celtics’ offensive firepower by roughing them up, Pritchard said they’re welcome to try.
“It’s fine, they can try it. See if it works,” he said. “We go into the game and do what we do.”
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