Jayson Tatum and the Celtics got a bit of a scare on Tuesday morning as the 21-year-old forward had to be helped off the floor in the closing seconds of Team USA's 93-92 win over Turkey in Shanghai. USA Basketball announced after the game that Tatum had suffered a sprained left ankle and would be re-evaluated on Wednesday ahead of the team's final Group E matchup with Japan.
Tatum posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds before his injury and rescued Team USA from the upset in the final seconds of overtime by corralling a loose ball off a missed free throw by Cedi Osman. With USA trailing by one and just eight seconds remaining in the final frame, Tatum went coast-to-coast after grabbing the rebound to set up Khris Middleton for an easy look at the rim (he was fouled). After making the pass, Tatum appears to roll his left ankle before colliding with teammate Harrison Barnes.
Here's Jayson Tatum's ankle injury at the end of Team USA's win over Turkey. pic.twitter.com/IrUadQz1DE
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) September 3, 2019