Celtics Injury Report: Jayson Tatum Brings Bad News With a ‘Wrap’ After Double-Digit Loss vs Jimmy Butler-Less Miami

The TD Garden was in shambles tonight after a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics by ten points. And the 111-101 loss Shaquille O’Neal predicted before the game on Inside The NBA was not the only piece of bad news. Just when Boston fans thought things could not get any worse, their superstar Jayson Tatum held a rather concerning look in the post-game presser.

Still disappointed from the Game 2 loss against Miami, Tatum faced the media with a wrap around the middle finger of his left hand. And upon asking if the finger wrap was a part of the fit or something else, Tatum revealed, “I jammed my sh*t the other day.” With that response, concerns have emerged about his availability for Saturday’s Game 3 in Miami.

Having scored 28 points in tonight’s loss, Tatum was the second-highest scorer on the Celtics squad, behind co-star Jaylen Brown. But his performance was not as efficient as he would have liked. Missing 50% of his shots from the field, Tatum did not perform at his best. And even his contribution to the team was far less than Game 1, where he had his first playoff career triple-double with 23 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. But tonight, Tatum was only limited to eight rebounds and three assists. Maybe Tatum’s jammed finger was bothering him or Miami’s defense was just too good to penetrate?

Whatever the case, after losing Game 2 at home, the Celtics cannot afford to lose Tatum to an injury heading to Miami. And hopefully, he will push through and be available in Game 3 at his best.

What did Jayson Tatum say after Game 2 loss?

Apart from shedding light on his jammed finger, Tatum also addressed the heartbreaking loss in Game 2. And not making any excuses, he appreciated Miami for bouncing back without Jimmy Butler and leveling the series, “They really shot the ball well tonight.” Displaying true Heat Culture, Tyler Herro and Co. fought amid adversity and shot lights out from the three-point line tonight. And they set a new Miami Heat playoff franchise record by making 23 shots from beyond the arc in the game.

Not only that, a whopping 62% of their total baskets were three-pointers, becoming only the fifth team in NBA playoffs history to achieve that feat. As the saying goes, you live by the three and you die by the three. And Miami survived because of their shooting tonight.

Not making wide-open threes, not getting to their actions fast enough and not getting timely stops were some of the mistakes that Tatum pointed out from Boston’s Game 2 loss. Regretting all the missed opportunities, Tatum said, “We knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.” Regardless of Miami’s standings, Tatum considers the Heat a strong team and acknowledges their recent history with each other. With the ongoing first-round series, this is the fourth time Jayson Tatum faced Miami in the playoffs in the last five years.

Nevertheless, Tatum was ready to bounce back and looked forward to Game 3 in Miami.