Tatum's Celtics Status Uncertain Against Nets

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum's availability for Tuesday night's game against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden remains undecided after he exited Monday's 134-99 win over the Chicago Bulls with 6:53 remaining. He had been managing a ruptured Achilles suffered during the 2025-26 season and is averaging a team-leading 24 points through three games this year.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla declined to commit Monday when asked whether Tatum would play on consecutive nights. "I think it's twofold," Mazzulla said. "We trust the sports science team that we have. We trust the competition of those guys. At the same time, I think our locker room has been built on one through 15, 16 or 17 being able to impact winning. So it's just a combination of all those things."

Boston owns an 11-1 record against Brooklyn across their last 12 meetings. The Celtics have won two straight after opening the season with a 121-113 loss to Detroit, while the Nets arrive 0-3 and surrendering 123.7 points per game. Opponents are shooting 50.6% from the floor and 40.3% from deep against Brooklyn's defense.

The Nets are coming off a 136-109 loss at Indiana on Sunday. The Pacers shot 57.6% from the field, hit 21 of 43 three-pointers and scored 56 points in the paint. Brooklyn led 51-49 after a Moritz Wagner three-pointer with 2:45 left in the first half, then Indiana closed the half on a 16-5 run and put up 37 points in the third quarter.

Brooklyn forward Julius Randle pointed to communication as the core issue. "The biggest (problem) is our communication," Randle said. "We're just not all on the same page. We've got to find a way to communicate better, respect communication amongst each other. If a guy calls something, we've got to honor the call."

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez called the defensive effort unacceptable after the opening period. "The performance we put up after the first quarter was just unacceptable, 112 points in three quarters, you're not winning basketball games," Fernandez said. "So it didn't feel good on either end of the floor."

Mazzulla said Boston will weigh health concerns against its depth when setting the rotation Tuesday. "At the end of the day, we have to do what gives us the best chance to win, and at the same time keep those guys healthy and validate the whole locker room by putting guys in situations where they've got to win games for us."