March 25 (UPI) — Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum sprained his left ankle during a win over the Sacramento Kings, the team announced.
Tatum sustained the injury with about 3:35 remaining in the third quarter of the 113-95 victory Monday in Sacramento. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla did not say if Tatum would miss time because of the injury.
“I know he will do anything and everything to make sure he just gets better,” Mazzulla told reporters.
Tatum, who scored a game-high 25 points, caught a pass beyond the 3-point arc to start the sequence. He elevated and released a 3-point shot, but landed on the left foot of Kings big man Domantas Sabonis as he came back down to the floor. He immediately went down on the sideline and grabbed his left ankle.
Tatum eventually got back to his feet and made one of two free throw attempts. Sabonis was given a flagrant foul for not sliding his foot into Tatum’s landing zone. The six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection left the game and did not return.
Sabonis apologized to Tatum during his postgame news conference.
“I feel horrible,” Sabonis, who also recently dealt with an ankle injury, told reporters. “I’ve had a crazy month myself personally. You never want that to happen. I apologize.”
Tatum averaged 27.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game through 66 starts this season. He is considered a Top 5 favorite for NBA MVP honors.
The Celtics (53-19) own the third-best record in the NBA and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Cleveland Cavaliers (57-14). They will battle the Phoenix Suns (35-37) at 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Phoenix.
