Jayson Tatum Shares Injury Update After Leaving Celtics' Game 6 Loss
The Boston Celtics are one loss away from blowing a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. They fell to a 106-93 loss in Game 6 to the Philadelphia 76ers, with the series now tied 3-3.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum left the game in the third quarter with a calf injury, not appearing in the fourth quarter as the loss looked certain. There's a lot of buzz around Tatum's status for Game 7 given his aggressive return from an Achilles tear earlier this season.
Tatum spoke to reporters in his post-game press conference and shared a status update on his knee while explaining why he didn't check back into the game for the fourth quarter.
"My leg just was a little stiff when I came out, 3rd quarter. Just kind of assessing in the moment, the game was a little out of reach, so we took the starters out and let the bench go in."
Tatum put up 17 points (6-13 FG) with 11 rebounds and three assists in 28:48 minutes of action. Neither he nor Jaylen Brown could find effective ways of breaking the the 76ers defense earlier in the game, with coach Joe Mazzulla electing to let all his starters rest while entering the fourth quarter down by 19 points.
Coach Mazzulla also clarified that Tatum's absence in the fourth quarter was precuationary, and that the Celtics forward didn't pick up an injury in the loss.
"No, he went in the back and just got stretched and got some treatment."
Tatum is averaging 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The last time he faced the 76ers in a Game 7 was in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semi Finals, scoring 50 points to make sure the Celtics continue their series win streak over the 76ers.
The 76ers have lost the last six Playoff matchups against the Celtics, with their last series win coming in 1982. They get a chance to finally earn a series win over Boston in Game 7 on Saturday, where they could become the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Related: NBA Makes Jaylen Brown Announcement in Celtics' Game 6 Loss
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 5:04 AM.