Celtics' Tatum ruled out for decisive game seven against Sixers

LOS ANGELES, United States — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was ruled out of game seven of the team's NBA playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) with an Eastern Conference semifinal berth on the line.

Tatum was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off in the deciding game after being listed as "questionable" on an earlier injury report.

Celtics coach Joe Mazulla told reporters at his pre-game press conference that Tatum had "discomfort" in his left knee that was bad enough to prompt the coach and team medical staff to rule Tatum out.

Tatum had exited late in the third quarter of their Game Six blowout loss to the Sixers but downplayed the issue after the game.

Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in last year's playoffs and missed the first 62 games of this campaign before making his season debut on March 6.

The second-seeded Celtics held a 3-1 lead in the series before dropping two straight against their old rivals.

It is the 23rd playoff clash between Boston and Philadelphia.

Boston has won the last six, knocking Sixers star Joel Embiid out of the playoffs three times -- in 2018, in 2020 and in 2023.