Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on 5x All-Star’s status (April 1)

The Boston Celtics have declared forward Jayson Tatum as ready to play in the upcoming game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Monday. This will mark the second time the two teams have faced each other this season, with the Hornets emerging victorious in the previous match.

Despite facing a potential third consecutive loss, Boston was able to secure a dominant 104-92 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 23 points, supported by Kristaps Porzingis’ 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Additionally, Derrick White added 15 points, while Jrue Holiday demonstrated his all-around skills with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

In addition, the Hornets recently suffered a 130-118 defeat against the LA Clippers on the first game of their back-to-back. Prior to that, they were also beaten 115-97 by the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Warriors had no trouble scoring against the Hornets, taking advantage of defensive breakdowns. They consistently found open players near the basket, particularly in critical moments on three separate occasions.

The Injury That Affected Jayson Tatum’s Performance

Jayson Tatum has been absent for a total of five games this season. Out of the past seven games, he missed two due to a right ankle impingement.

In particular, he was absent for the second game of a back-to-back series after the 130-104 victory against the Washington Wizards, during the game against the Detroit Pistons.

Furthermore, he was incapable of participating in a different match against the Detroit Pistons on March 22.

However, this is not the initial occurrence of JT experiencing ankle issues this season. He had previously left a game early against the Warriors on Dec. 19 because of a sprained left ankle.

The injury occurred shortly before the eighth-minute mark in the first quarter when he accidentally stepped on Brandin Podziemski’s foot.

Despite returning to the game at the start of the second quarter, he noticeably lacked his typical explosiveness after limping to the locker room following the incident. This had a discernible impact on his performance for the rest of the game.

Jayson Tatum’s Dominant Performance Against the Charlotte Hornets

In the 22 games he has played against the Charlotte Hornets, the Celtics’ five-time All-Star has maintained a record of 17 wins and 5 losses. He has consistently performed well, averaging 27.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while also recording 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks on an impressive 50.5% shooting from the field. His accuracy from beyond the arc stands at 39.3%, and he has also excelled at the free-throw line with a success rate of 87.4%.

In their prior meeting this season, he put up an impressive performance with 45 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, shooting 53.6% from the field and 46.7% from three-point range. Despite his stellar stats, the Celtics ultimately fell short with a 121-118 loss and JT recorded a -5 net rating.