Jayson Tatum exits with ankle injury as Celtics rout Kings

Posted by siteadmin
March 26, 2025
Posted in SPORTS
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (center) loses control of the ball next to Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (right). (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (center) loses control of the ball next to Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (right). (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)

Jayson Tatum poured in a game-high 25 points before injuring his left ankle, Payton Pritchard came off the bench to contribute 22 points and the Boston Celtics ran away from the host Sacramento Kings for a 113-95 victory yesterday (Philippine time).

Tatum also had seven rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes before he came down on Domantas Sabonis’ foot after a three-point attempt with 3:35 left in the third period.

Sabonis was slapped with a flagrant foul for having run under a three-point shooter. Tatum, after several minutes on the floor, was able to take the two free throws — making one — before being replaced. The Celtics (53-19) led 79-68 at the time.

He did not return.

Seeking to prevent a three-game home losing streak, the Kings (35-36) hung without 10 through the end of the third quarter. But when Baylor Scheierman buried a three-pointer and Derrick White dropped in a layup in the first 39 seconds of the final period, the lead was 15 and the Celtics coasted home for a sixth straight win.

Tatum and Pritchard connected on five three-pointers apiece, helping the Celtics go 19-for-50 (38 percent) from beyond the arc and outscore the hosts 57-24 from deep.

Tatum shot 8-for-15 overall and Pritchard 8-for-18 as Boston avenged a 114-97 shellacking at home by the Kings in January.

Kristaps Porzingis tied Luke Kornet for team-high rebound honors with eight to go with 16 points for Boston, which won a third straight on the road to begin a six-game trip. Kornet finished with 13 points and White 12 to complement eight assists, tying Tatum for the team high.

DeMar DeRozan and Sabonis put up double-doubles for the Kings, DeRozan with a team-high 20 points and a game-high 10 assists, Sabonis with 16 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

Zach LaVine and Keon Ellis added 14 points apiece and Keegan Murray 13 for the Kings, who fell to 2-3 on a seven-game homestand. (Field Level Media / Reuters)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *