Celtics rule Jayson Tatum out for Game 7 with knee stiffness

BOSTON — In a seismic evolution, boston celtics supper star jayson tatum Eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against philadelphia 76ers With stiffness in left knee.

The designation comes just two hours before the conclusion of the latest installment of one of the league’s oldest rivalries.

“He just came in today with a knee soreness,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said during a pregame media availability, minutes after Tatum was ruled out. “And we, the medical staff and I, made the decision that he was not going to play.”

Mazzulla, who said Tatum has back knee soreness and is day-to-day, declined to say who will start in Tatum’s place.

Tatum was originally listed as questionable with left knee stiffness six hours before tipoff, even though the Celtics had said for two days that he had no problem in the Game 6 loss.

Tatum suffered an injury to his right foot last May — the one-year anniversary was coming up on Wednesday — and he returned in March, but quickly looked like the player who has consistently been one of the league’s best players over the past several seasons.

But when he left Boston it was his left leg that was an issue 106-93 Thursday night’s Game 6 loss to Philadelphia, with 4:03 minutes left in the third quarter. He briefly went back to the locker room, before returning to the bench at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With Boston trailing by more than 20 points in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla decided not to return Tatum to the game.

Both Mazzulla and Tatum downplayed the fact that there were any knee issues after the game.

There will be a lot of history in Saturday’s Game 7. This is the 23rd time the two teams have met in a playoff series – the most times any two teams have played each other in the postseason in NBA history. Boston, meanwhile, has won six consecutive series between the two teams in the playoffs, dating back to 1982 – the last time Philadelphia won an NBA title.

The celtics have also been joel embiidThe biggest rivalry in the playoffs. Tatum and the Celtics have eliminated Embiid from the playoffs three times: a five-game loss in the 2018 conference semifinals, a first-round sweep in 2020 and a second-round series in 2023 that went away after the Celtics came from behind to win Game 6 in Philadelphia.

Boston, which leads this series 3-1 before winning Game 5 in Boston on Tuesday and Game 6 in Philly on Thursday, is 32-0 in its history while leading the best-of-7 series 3-1. The 76ers, on the other hand, are 0-18 when facing that scenario – the worst mark in NBA history.