A late-developing illness prevented Jayson Tatum from taking the floor Monday night in Orlando.

The Celtics placed Tatum on their injury report minutes before their road game against the Magic, listing the superstar as questionable with a non-COVID illness.

Al Horford replaced Tatum in the starting lineup. Tatum wasn’t on the bench because of the tip-off, but Boston hadn’t officially ruled him out early in the game.

Tatum turned in one of the best performances by any NBA player this season: a 43-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist performance in a 123-98 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. He had started all but two of the Celtics’ first 28 games and entered Monday as the team leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.

Before Tatum was demoted at the last minute, the Celtics had their full roster available for only the second time this season. Rotation wing Sam Hauser returned to action after missing the last two games with lower back spasms.

The Magic were shorthanded and played without injured stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as well as backups Moritz Wagner and Gary Harris. Moritz Wagner, a candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, tore his ACL in a win over Miami on Saturday.

Originally published: December 23, 2024 at 7:23 pm EST