Tatum leaves Celtics game with ankle sprain after flagrant foul 

Sabonis was subsequently called for a Flagrant 1 foul for sliding his foot into Tatum’s landing zone — giving Tatum free throws. Following a Boston timeout, Tatum gingerly made his way back out on the court to attempt his free throws before heading down the tunnel and toward Boston’s locker room.

Tatum did not return for the remainder of the game, with the Celtics listing him as “doubtful to return” with a left ankle sprain shortly after he exited the floor.

He closed out his performance against the Kings by recording 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting (5-of-9 from three) to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds in just 26 minutes of action. 

Tatum was not made available to the media after the win, although Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe noted on X postgame that Tatum was “at his locker eating and joking with teammates and wearing sneakers on both feet.” 

Himmelsbach added on X that Tatum “left the arena tonight with no crutches or boot, and just a very slight limp.”

With the Celtics currently sitting as the No. 2 seed in the East behind Cleveland, the focus for Tatum and Boston turns to his health ahead of the team’s upcoming playoff push for a 19th title. 

The Celtics still have 10 games left in the regular season — with Tatum’s recovery timeline currently unclear. Even if Tatum’s ankle sprain is not severe, the case can be made that Boston will opt to give its best player the rest of the regular season off in order to rest and recover before the postseason begins. 

Tatum has been one of the more durable stars in the NBA since he was first drafted by Boston in 2017 — with the All-NBA forward playing in 66 of Boston’s 72 games so far this season. 

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.