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Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their playoff series on Monday. Boston took a 3-1 series lead following their 102-88 Game 4 victory, but injury trouble was a concern in the affair.
Kristaps Porzingis endured an injury scare during the contest. Later in the game Jayson Tatum also went down with an apparent ankle concern.
Tatum still ended up playing in over 37 minutes. He recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as well. It was not his best game, but Derrick White led the charge with a 38-point outing. As a result, Boston still ended up earning a crucial win.
The Celtics are obviously hopeful that Tatum’s injury is nothing serious. He admitted to being frustrated about the situation following the game, via Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS.
“I was mad, just because it’s the same ankle (from Game 7),” Tatum said. “I’ve tweaked my ankle 1,000 times playing this game. It was throbbing, but then the adrenaline made it wear off I guess, and just kept playing.”
The injury occurred when Bam Adebayo accidentally caused Tatum to fall after the Celtics star took a shot following a whistle. Adebayo was ultimately given a flagrant 1. The Heat star addressed the situation after the game, but opted not to say much in order to avoid a potential fine.
“I don’t even know,” via Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “We just gone move on from that, you gonna get me fined.”
Jayson Tatum, Celtics lead series 3-1
Tatum is the best player on the Celtics but had an inconsistent night shooting the ball on Monday. Jaylen Brown also struggled with his shot, while Kristaps Porzingis exited early and played in just 20 minutes due to an injury.
Derrick White saved the day, though. Not only did he score 38 points, White was incredibly efficient. He shot 15-26 from the field and 8-15 from beyond the arc.
Tatum made an admission about White’s big performance after the win.
“When he’s being aggressive, it just opens everything up,” Tatum said, via Taylor Snow of NBA.com. “When your teammates are hitting shots and being aggressive… It really makes us very, very hard to guard. You want everybody to be assertive and be aggressive. Try to make plays. It just makes us a better team.”
The series is certainly not over. Miami is never going to give up. Playing without superstar Jimmy Butler, who is injured, has proven to be a challenge, though.
Boston will have a chance to clinch a series win at home in Game 5. The Celtics feature more than enough talent to make an NBA Finals run. Avoiding more injuries will be of the utmost importance.
Boston will continue to monitor Jayson Tatum’s injury concern. The fact that he still played 37 minutes in Game 4 is a positive sign. Nevertheless, it will be a situation to closely keep an eye on.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Boston at 7:30 PM EST as the Celtics look to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
More must-reads:
- Timberwolves chew up Nuggets to force Game 7
- Cavaliers could be forced to choose between star guard pairing
- The 'Most career 40-point playoff games' quiz
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