The Boston Celtics lost a very winnable game to open up the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday night in Boston, losing 119-115 to the Philadelphia 76ers in a game where MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid was inactive.
With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, PJ Tucker issued Jayson Tatum a cheap-shot on a backswing while he was talking with a teammate in the heat of the moment during play on the court.
Whether this was intentional or not, Tatum hit the ground hard with no foul called and the Celtics weren’t allowed to review the play. When he was asked about it, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was very honest with his response.
Tatum ended up being fine after catching his breath and remained in the game. But the fact that Mazzulla was given a harsh explanation from the officials isn’t great looking ahead in this series.
The Celtics host the 76ers on Wednesday night for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports
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