Tatum misses his first game of the season, while Holiday is still sidelined.
The Boston Celtics announced that both Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday are out against the Detroit Pistons tonight. Tatum is out due to a right patella tendinopathy, while Holiday misses his third game with left knee tendinopathy. Both were listed as ‘questionable’ on Tuesday, but now, neither will suit up against the Pistons.
In an interview last season, Tatum spoke about not wanting to sit out games:
“There’s been times where two weeks in advance we talk about, ‘let’s take this game off.’ And I’ll be like, ‘alright.’ Then the day comes and I’ll be like, ‘[expletive] that.’ I think that’s just something that’s the kid in me. I always dreamed about playing in the NBA and never want to take that for granted. I just love playing basketball… I just always want to play.”
Tatum throughout his NBA career has been both durable and reliable. Last season, he featured in 74 games.
The former Duke Blue Devil has been playing at an MVP level this year averaging 28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists and was named October/November’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
For Holiday, this will be his third game missed and second consecutive. It doesn’t seem like a long-term injury, and there’s a chance Holiday comes back on Friday when Boston hosts the Milwaukee Bucks.