BOSTON — Jayson Tatum took an early trip to the Celtics locker room during Friday night’s matchup against the 76ers, paying the price for some choice words that triggered NBA officials.
Amid a back-and-forth third quarter with Philadelphia, Tatum was charged with a loose ball foul that was then upgraded to a flagrant 1 by the officials. Yet, in protest of the call, Tatum barked at the officials and was quickly given his second technical foul of the night, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee attempted to restrain Tatum, but by that point, it was far too late.
Tatum’s early exit couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time for the Celtics, who departed from the contest as Boston held a 95-94 lead over Philadelphia with only 2.6 seconds left in the third quarter.
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Watch Tatum’s fired-up interaction with the officials here, courtesy of NBC Sports Boston:
Playing 27 minutes, Tatum’s final stat line ended at 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists while also being charged with a game-high seven turnovers. At the point of the ejection, Tatum was Boston’s leading scorer.
That marked Tatum’s second-career ejection, and the first of the 2023-24 season for the four-time All-Star.
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Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
