Jayson Tatum’s Injury Status Takes Surprising Turn Hours Before 76ers-Celtics Game 7

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The Celtics will be looking to avoid blowing a 3–1 when they host the 76ers in Game 7 on Saturday night, and just hours before tip off they shared some surprising news—Jayson Tatum was added to the injury list as questionable due to stiffness in his left knee.
Tatum, of course, returned from a torn right Achilles in early March and played in 16 regular season games. He’s played in all six games against the 76ers, but left Game 6 early with an injury and didn’t return. He ended up sitting out the entire fourth quarter of the 106-93 loss.
Injury Report Update:
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 2, 2026
Jayson Tatum - Left Knee Stiffness - QUESTIONABLE https://t.co/aRSiFBdnDY
The Celtics looked to be in control of this series after winning Game 4 in Philadelphia by 32 points. They then lost Game 5 at home before dropping Game 6 on the road, in which Tatum had 17 points in 29 minutes.
Game 7 tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. We’ll find out then if Tatum will be able to give it a go for a Celtics team that had NBA championship hopes just a few days ago. Now, they’re just trying to save their season.
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Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
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