S
tar forward Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for  Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics announced Saturday.
This is a stunning development just ahead of tip off.
Tatum, 28, suffered an injury scare in the second half of the Celtics’ Game 6 loss to the Sixers on Thursday night. Tatum briefly exited to the locker room to receive an evaluation on his lower leg.
The Celtics are calling Tatum’s injury “left knee stiffness.”
Tatum and the Celtics vehemently downplayed any injury concern. Tatum described his leg as just “a little stiff,” giving fans hope there was nothing to be concerned about.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla pulled Tatum from Game 6 early, indicating there might have been some injury Tatum was dealing with. But with Mazzulla’s comments after the game, many suspected the decision was simply rooted in protecting Tatum as Game 6 was already out of hand.
Boston suddenly has a steep uphill battle in Game 7 without Tatum, who had logged the most minutes for the team through six games in first round.
C’s Get Shocking Jayson Tatum News Ahead of Do-or-Die Game
This news comes as a late shocker. Yes, Tatum exited Game 6 after what looked like a shaky injury, but given this is a Game 7 on tap, many would have expected the Celtics would have played Tatum even if it meant the former All-Star forward would be relegated to a minutes restriction.
Tatum’s absence will force other players to step up. The pressure now sits squarely on Jaylen Brown’s shoulders.
Brown, an NBA MVP candidate, put together the finest regular season of his 10-year career, averaging a career high in point while steering Boston to a top two seed in a top heavy Eastern Conference — in what he joked was supposed to be “a gap year.”
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics laughs during the second half at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Thunder 119-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Brown hasn’t played up to his standard so far in the first round; he has shot below his typical efficiency and has been picking up offensive fouls left and right. But none of that will matter if he goes out tonight and rattles off a performance of his life.
Added responsibility will be given to Payton Pritchard, the fearless, score-first minded guard who can play like an elite starter in any given game.
Pritchard exploded for 32 points earlier in the series. The Celtics will need another performance like that to help fill the Tatum’s void.
An Epic Collapse on The Horizon?
It has taken an astonishing chain of events for this first round series to reach this point.
The Celtics blitzed the Sixers in the first four games, winning three times and looking every bit of a championship contender. Then Philadelphia punched back by returning Joel Embiid and winning a road Game 5 in grand fashion
Embiid, just weeks removed from emergency appendectomy, blasted the Celtics’ defense for 33 points. In the second half alone, he shot 7-for-10 from the field and put Boston’s big men in a blender.
The Sixers have to feel comfortable about their chances tonight.
Philadelphia will face a Tatum-less Boston and heads back into TD Garden, where it has won two times already this series. Those screaming, harassing Celtics fans have not been able to deter these fighting Sixers yet.
Tonight will produce one of two outcomes — either the Celtics survive and forget this all happened, or the Sixers kick the C’s into a dreary offseason riddled with questions.
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