The Boston Celtics managed to pull out a big win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, beating the Golden State Warriors by a score of 116-100. While Jayson Tatum showed out for 26 points, he was dealing with a sore shoulder that he re-aggravated in Game 3 after injuring it in the East Finals against the Miami Heat.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka gave an update on Tatum's injury and revealed there isn't any serious concern at this point in regards to his availability.
Via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints:
Ime Udoka says he believes Jayson Tatum’s shoulder is gonna hurt a bit, a stinger, whenever he gets hit but adds that there’s no big concern at the moment.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 9, 2022
However, as Udoka noted, he expects the Celtics star will have to play through some pain. Draymond Green was even seen trying to grab Tatum's shoulder in Game 3 in a rather dirty play:
Here’s @Money23Green intentionally not trying to get inside position, rather going behind Tatum and grabbing him from the top, over his body in an attempt to injure his shoulder. pic.twitter.com/HLOn9CCRzO
— PHX Fans (@PHXFansApp) June 9, 2022
No wonder Boston fans hate Green so much. Although Tatum can be seen grimacing in pain from time to time, it's clear he's willing to suck it up and do all that he can to get his team to the finish line.
Tatum hasn't been all that efficient in the Finals quite yet, but Wednesday's performance was impressive because of his all-around impact. Aside from scoring 26, he also dished out nine assists and did a terrific job of getting his teammates involved.
The Celtics will need Jayson Tatum to put his best foot forward once again on Friday as Boston looks to take a 3-1 stranglehold vs. Golden State.
Follow Us
Subscribe