Rival Expresses Discomfort as Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Faces Ankle Injury from Flagrant Foul

Boston Celtics ace Jayson Tatum has sustained an ankle injury during the team’s 113-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The mishap took place following a rough foul, with Kings centre Domantas Sabonis making a late attempt to contest a shot. Tatum ended up rolling his ankle as he landed on Sabonis’ foot. The incident led to Sabonis being penalised with a flagrant foul.

Since the 2017-2018 playoffs, the NBA has tightened its stance on such plays, motivated by an incident where Warriors centre Zaza Pachulia injured San Antonio star Kawhi Leonard in a similar manner.

The severity of Tatum’s injury remains unverified, but he displayed clear signs of distress and required assistance off the court to reach the bench.

Before the injury, Tatum had already contributed 25 points in 26 minutes, spearheading the Celtics in their comfortable win.

In his post-match comments, Sabonis expressed his remorse: “I feel terrible. Personally, it’s been a tough month for me, and you never want to see that happen. So, I sincerely apologise.”

It’s worth noting that the NBA All-Star had been sidelined for nine of Sacramento’s last eleven games due to his own ankle sprain.

The Celtics currently hold a solid record of 53 wins, sitting nine games ahead of the New York Knicks in third place in the Eastern Conference, allowing them the luxury of not needing to rush Tatum back.

In the upcoming days, Boston has only two games scheduled, with road trips planned to Phoenix and San Antonio to conclude the week.