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The Boston Celtics' injury woes mounted on Tuesday night when Jayson Tatum left Game 2 of their series against the Brooklyn Nets after being poked in the eye accidentally by Kevin Durant.
Tatum left the game just three minutes into the third quarter and would not return as the Nets blew out the C's 130-108. Fast forward to Friday and the Boston Celtics are looking to get back into the series and avoid being on the brink of a potential sweep.
The good news for fans, at least, is that Jayson Tatum announced on Thursday afternoon he would be available for Game 3 at TD Garden.
What Jayson Tatum and Boston Celtics need to do to get back into their playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets
Jayson Tatum has had another stellar year with the Boston Celtics and continued to increase his career-high in points, rebounds and assists. He even dropped an unbelievable 60-point piece against the San Antonio Spurs at the end of April and put up 50 in the C's play-in game against the Washington Wizards. So far in the playoffs, though, his effectiveness has been limited against the Brooklyn Nets.
In Game 1, neither side shot the ball particularly well. Tatum, in particular, struggled though, shooting 6-20 from the field and 1-4 from downtown as he battled against Kevin Durant's long reach. He finished the game with 22 points and five assists. Prior to his injury in Game 2, the 23-year-old was shooting at just 25% from the field.
Most worryingly for Boston Celtics fans is the fact these stats are well below Jayson Tatum's season averages. He is usually an efficient scorer who makes 45% of efforts from the floor, therefore they will be hoping that it was simply nerves of playing on the road.
Now that the series heads to TD Garden, Tatum and the Boston Celtics will be looking to reignite their scoring with the crowd behind them. On home court during the 2020-21 campaign, the C's were 21-15 at home, while Tatum averaged 27.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Although their form has been inconsistent all year, there is still time for the Boston Celtics to turn this tie around, although it will take a monumental effort. The Brooklyn Nets' big three are heating up and the Celtics need to find a way to improve their perimeter defense.
During the regular season, Boston ranked in the bottom half of teams for 3-points allowed and opposition 3-point percentage. They can't afford to continue like that against the Brooklyn Nets' Joe Harris, James Harden and Kevin Durant. In Game 2, all three of those players shot at 50% or above from beyond the arc.
