Celtics’ Jayson Tatum is listed as questionable for G7 vs. the 76ers

Boston – In a potential seismic development, Boston Celtics superstar Jason Tatum A late addition to the injury report included a sore left knee Saturday afternoon, about six hours before the Celtics will host Philadelphia 76ers In Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, the latest installment of one of the league’s oldest rivalries concludes.

He has been put on the suspect list.

Tatum had the right leg he suffered from a torn Achilles last May — the one-year anniversary is coming up Wednesday this week — and he returned in March, only beginning to resemble the player who has consistently been among the league’s best over the past several seasons.

But it became a problem on his left side when he left with 4:03 to go in the third quarter of Game 6 in Philadelphia on Thursday night and did not return to Boston’s 106-93 loss. He briefly returned to the locker room before returning to the bench early in the fourth quarter.

At that point, Boston announced that Tatum was available to return to the game. However, at the same time Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla — with Boston trailing 88-65 with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter — opted to wave the white flag and reserve his depth for the remainder of the game.

“Just wanted to give the game a different feel,” Mazulla said in explaining the decision to pull the starters. “I think all year we’ve had 14, 15 guys that have been able to make an impact on wins, and wanted to give the game a different look.”

When both Majulla and Tatum were asked about his health, both denied there were any issues.

“No,” Majulla said when asked if Tatum was hurt. “He just went back and just stretched out, did some treatment. That was it.”

For his part, Tatum said, “Yeah, you all probably saw when I went back, saw me on the bike. My leg was a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But, you know, judging the moment, the game was a little bit out of reach.

“We took the starters out and let the bench guys in.”

Mazzulla again downplayed the possibility of Tatum having an issue in a conference call with reporters Friday — only for Tatum to suddenly pop up on the injury report early Saturday afternoon, casting doubt on his availability for what could be Boston’s final game of the season.

Saturday’s Game 7 will have plenty of history on the line for both sides. This is the 23rd time the two teams have squared off in a playoff series — the most times any two teams have played each other in NBA history. Boston, meanwhile, has won six straight meetings between the two teams in the playoffs, dating back to 1982 — the last time Philadelphia won the NBA title.

So have the Celtics Joel EmbiidBiggest nemesis in the playoffs during his career. Tatum and the Celtics have already knocked Embiid out of the playoffs three times: a five-game loss in the 2018 conference semifinals, a first-round sweep in 2020 and a second-round series in 2023 that went the distance after the Celtics came from behind to win Game 6 in Philadelphia.

Boston leads the series 3-1 before Philadelphia wins Game 5 here on Tuesday and Game 6 in Philly on Thursday, going 32-0 in its history while taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The 76ers, on the other hand, are 0-18 when facing that scenario — the worst mark in NBA history.