Rival 'felt horrible' as Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffers ankle injury on flagrant foul
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has suffered an ankle injury in the team's 113-95 win over the Sacramento Kings.
The incident occurred on a hard foul, with Kings centre Domantas Sabonis closing out late on a shot attempt and Tatum ultimately landing on his foot and rolling his ankle. Sabonis was assessed with a flagrant foul for the incident.
The NBA has cracked down on the action in particular since the 2017-2018 playoffs, following an incident where Warriors centre Zaza Pachulia injured San Antonio star Kawhi Leonard with a similar action.
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The extent of Tatum's injury is yet to be confirmed, though he was in clear visible pain and had to be helped from the court to the bench.
Tatum scored 25 points in 26 minutes before the injury, leading the way for the Celtics in the comfortable win.
Moments before Jayson Tatum landed on Domantas Sabonis' ankle. Getty
Sabonis was candid in his post-match press conference, saying: "I feel horrible. I've had a crazy month myself, personally, and you never want that to happen. So, I apologise."
The NBA All-Star had missed nine of Sacramento's last 11 games with his own ankle sprain.
Boston has 53 wins to their name, nine ahead of the New York Knicks in third place in the Eastern Conference, meaning they don't necessarily have to rush their superstar back.
The Celtics only play two games in the next five days, with road trips to Phoenix and San Antonio to finish the week.
