BOSTON (AP) — Celtics star Jayson Tatum was ruled out for Game 7 against Philadelphia on Saturday night with left knee stiffness.

The team announced the news about 90 minutes before the start of the winner-take-all first-round matchup between Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers.

“He just came in today with knee discomfort. The medical team and myself decided for him not to play,” coach Joe Mazzulla said during his pregame meeting with reporters.

With Tatum out, Mazzulla made radical changes to the starting lineup for Game 7, opting to start Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. alongside Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. It is the first time that group has started together this season.

Tatum averaged 23.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists through the first six games of the series, while shooting 52.2% from the field and 36.5 from the 3-point line.

Tatum briefly left Game 6 in the third quarter for unspecified treatment of his calf. Tatum, of course, is just 22 games into his return from the torn right Achilles tendon injury he suffered in last season’s playoffs.

The Celtics downplayed the situation, with Tatum saying afterward that his leg was only feeling “a little stiff.” He said following a quick assessment and some time on the exercise bike he didn’t return because the game was out of hand and the starters had already been pulled.

But he was a late addition to the injury report on Saturday, listed first as questionable when the 1:45 p.m. report was released.

Tatum’s return to action was carefully managed during the regular season, beginning with a slow ramp up of his minutes. He also was not allowed to play in both games of a back-to-back.

But he’s had a lot less rest over the last three playoff games, playing every other night.

Saturday marks the 67th game this season that Tatum has not played.

This will be the fifth time that the 76ers have played against Boston this season with Tatum sidelined.

“Obviously, it will change the matchups and things like that,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “Obviously, they played the majority of their season without him, and played very, very well. So, I think they’ve got enough games under their belt and have guys they trust and rely on and all that kind of stuff.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Tonight the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics play in Game 7 of their first round series. Tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Watch on NBC or Peacock. Enjoy the game!

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What is it about competitors from Philadelphia always going the distance?

The Philadelphia 76ers have followed the blueprint of Rocky Balboa, storming back to force a Game 7 clash with the Boston Celtics.

After trailing 3-1 in this opening-round series, the Sixers have rallied behind a defensive resurgence, with Kelly Oubre Jr. leading the way through his relentless energy and effort.

While he’s been key in slowing down Boston’s top weapons, Oubre has also shown he can make his presence felt on the offensive end.

Our 76ers vs. Celtics predictions like Philly’s forward to produce, and my NBA picks are taking Oubre to go Over a short points prop Saturday.

76ers vs Celtics prediction

Who will win 76ers vs Celtics Game 7?

76ers: After laying double digits in its first three home games, Boston is a way smaller home favorite for Game 7. That spread is anchored by Jayson Tatum’s tender calf, with the Celtics’ superstar officially ruled out for tonight.

Boston has a bad habit of sticking to the plan, and that’s not working. The 76ers have the momentum and mentality to keep this game closer than oddsmakers expect, and if Boston stays cold from deep, it’s over.

76ers vs Celtics best bet: Kelly Oubre Over 9.5 points (+100)

Defense is Kelly Oubre’s calling card, but after a solid offensive start to the series, he disappeared in Games 4 and 5. 

His usage is modest to begin with, yet dropped from 16.4% in the opening three games — scoring 10, 12, and 17 points respectively — to just 8.6% in Games 4 and 5. That resulted in a total of only six points on 2-for-11 combined shooting. 

Oubre did find his way back into the offense in Game 6. His usage surged back to 17% and led to a 6-for-11 performance for 14 points.

Oubre was active off the ball and benefited from extra attention being thrown at Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Boston sent double teams at the 7-footer, opening up space in the dunker’s spot for Oubre to cut to the rim. He was also able to get inside as a ball handler on high-screen action.

With Embiid serving as the biggest problem for the Boston Celtics defense, we could see Boston adjust its matchups and use bigger bodies like Neemias Queta or Nikola Vucevic to mind the 6-foot-8 Oubre.

From there, Oubre can face up and take those plodding players off the dribble or make them pay from outside, should those centers stay home.

His projections for Game 7 sit between 12.5 and 13 points. Oubre has scored 10 or more points in eight of his last 10 games and 11 of his last 16 outings since returning from an elbow injury at the end of March.

76ers vs Celtics same-game parlay

The Sixers have found another gear on defense and have done an excellent job of keeping the Celtics away from the offensive glass, limiting Boston to one bad shot per possession. The Celtics refuse to adjust their offensive approach, and that will keep this closer than oddsmakers expect.

Joel Embiid has been a game-changer against a soft Boston interior. The Celtics are having to throw extra bodies at the 76ers’ big man, and he’s done a great job hitting cutters and finding shooters on kickouts. He’s dished out 22 total assists on 30 potential assists the past three games.

76ers vs Celtics SGP

• 76ers +7.5
• Kelly Oubre Over 9.5 points
• Joel Embiid Over 4.5 assists

Our “from downtown” SGP: Oubre is A-OK

Kelly Oubre is one of the best two-way players in this series. He’s projected for as many as 13 points and seven rebounds in Game 7.

He’s swatted at least one shot in three of the past four games, including two blocks in Game 6. If Philly is going to cover this spread, Oubre will have a big part in it.

76ers vs Celtics SGP

• 76ers +7.5
• Kelly Oubre Over 9.5 points
• Kelly Oubre Over 5.5 rebounds
• Kelly Oubre Over 0.5 blocks

76ers vs Celtics odds for Game 7

• Spread: 76ers +7.5 (-110) | Celtics -7.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: 76ers +235 | Celtics -290
• Over/Under: Over 206.5 (-110) | Under 206.5 (-110)

76ers vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Philadelphia 76ers have produced a 16-27 Over/Under record (63% Unders) as underdogs this season, including an 8-15 O/U mark when getting six points or more. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Celtics.

How to watch 76ers vs Celtics Game 7

76ers vs Celtics latest injuries

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Have you ever been to a Little League game where some poor kid can’t find the strike zone and the other team knows it? The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds just gave us the major league version of that.

The Pirates tied an MLB record on Saturday by drawing walks in seven straight plate appearances, turning what was previously a 5-3 lead into a laugher. The two pitchers responsible for the walk streak: starter Rhett Lowder and reliever Connor Phillips.

The Pirates went on to win 17-7.

The strike zone carnage came in the second inning, after the Pirates had already gone through their entire order in a five-run first inning. Leadoff hitter Oneil Cruz struck out looking, then the 2-8 batters in the Pittsburgh lineup all drew walks, with Phillips replacing Lowder after three walks, then walking in four runners himself.

The Pirates pulled Phillips after that and replaced him with Sam Moll, who didn’t walk Henry Davis, but did allow another run in on a fielder’s choice grounder. Cruz then grounded out to end the inning, making him responsible for two of the three outs.

It was 10-3 Pirates at the end of the inning, with five runs scored on zero hits. Please enjoy a supercut of all seven walks, featuring a Pirates broadcast falling further into disbelief with each ball:

And if you’re curious what all of that looks like from a pitch perspective: ball, strike, ball, foul, ball, ball strike, foul, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, strike, ball, strike, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, ball, strike, foul, ball, foul, ball, ball, ball.

Only two other teams have yielded seven straight walks in MLB history. The last one to do it is the Pirates, who did it against the Atlanta Braves in 1983 per Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan. The other team do it was the Chicago White Sox in 1909.

The Pirates went on to post another five-run inning in the fourth, giving them a 15-3 lead. Their offense was so dominant that starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski could be seen jumping and running in place in the dugout to stay loose while waiting for his next trip to the mound.

The win improves the Pirates’ record to 18-16, while the Reds are now 20-13.

BOSTON — The Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night for a Game 7. Tatum was ruled out with left knee stiffness two hours before tip-off.

Jayson Tatum is OUT tonight, per Celtics

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 2, 2026

Tatum was initially planning on playing after missing the final 15 minutes of Thursday’s Game 6 in Philadelphia, but was listed as questionable on Saturday afternoon.

“I expect to play,” Tatum said. “It was my other leg, not the one I injured last year. I mean, I wasn’t like overly concerned. Shit, I came out at four minutes, like I was supposed to. Just kind of assessed the game — he took the starters out fairly early in the fourth quarter.”

Despite that, Tatum was ruled out at 5:30pm.

“He came in today with knee discomfort,” Joe Mazzulla said ahead of tip-off, describing Tatum as day-to-day.

Baylor Scheierman or Jordan Walsh would likely take his place in the starting lineup. Payton Pritchard, who has been the team’s third-leading scorer all year, could also enter the starting lineup ahead of Game 7.

What a different world the Atlanta Hawks are living in now, compared to the start of the season. 

Gone is Trae Young and in his place as team leader is Jalen Johnson, the multifaceted All-Star power forward who can do pretty much everything and averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists on the season. 

While observers will ridicule the Hawks for their historic Game 6 collapse to the New York Knicks (if you know, you know), the fact is these Hawks are heading into the summer with far more reason for optimism than before. 

C.J. McCollum, who was acquired in the Young trade, fits the team so much better than Young ever did with his proficiency playing off the ball and by not commanding a high usage rate. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elsewhere, the Hawks are loaded with talent at affordable prices, which should provide them with a huge financial safety net moving forward. 

Yes, they have some decisions to make, but overall, Hawks fans should enter this summer with hope instead of despair. 

2025-26 finish

Record: 46-36, sixth in Eastern Conference. Eliminated by the New York Knicks in six games in the first round. 

Highlight of the season

Nickeil Alexander-Walker turning into a 20-point scorer and becoming one of the most effective contracts in the NBA. Atlanta signed him under an entirely different premise, expecting him to become a key role player and added depth. His evolution is worth keeping an eye on. 

Players signed for next season 

Jalen Johnson 

Dyson Daniels

Onyeka Okongwu

Nickeil Alexander-Walker 

Corey Kispert

Zaccharie Risacher

Asa Newell

Key free agents

C.J. McCollum (UFA) 

Jonathan Kuminga (team option) 

Projected salary 

$116,704,230

Projected draft picks

Nos. 7, 23 and 57

Draft focus: This team is getting good — and quickly. The Hawks need another huge bite of the apple, in the form of — preferably — a guard. Whichever player is left on the board at No. 7 with the most star upside is whom they should pick. Alternatively, using that pick to trade for a young, established player shouldn’t be ruled out. 

Roster-building tools 

The Hawks aren’t expensive, and that shouldn’t change even if they pick up Kuminga’s option and re-sign McCollum. They should have the ability to utilize their entire Non-Tax MLE if they stay as an above-the-cap team, which they should. 

Needs and goals

Next season the Hawks need to find themselves near the top of the Eastern Conference. They’re too talented and too deep to not compete for a high seed. Whatever helps them on their way — be that a top rookie or established help, it’s probably worth it. The Hawks have some flexibility, but it’s essential they make wise choices.

What a different world the Atlanta Hawks are living in now, compared to the start of the season. 

Gone is Trae Young and in his place as team leader is Jalen Johnson, the multifaceted All-Star power forward who can do pretty much everything and averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists on the season. 

While observers will ridicule the Hawks for their historic Game 6 collapse to the New York Knicks (if you know, you know), the fact is these Hawks are heading into the summer with far more reason for optimism than before. 

C.J. McCollum, who was acquired in the Young trade, fits the team so much better than Young ever did with his proficiency playing off the ball and by not commanding a high usage rate. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elsewhere, the Hawks are loaded with talent at affordable prices, which should provide them with a huge financial safety net moving forward. 

Yes, they have some decisions to make, but overall, Hawks fans should enter this summer with hope instead of despair. 

2025-26 finish

Record: 46-36, sixth in Eastern Conference. Eliminated by the New York Knicks in six games in the first round. 

Highlight of the season

Nickeil Alexander-Walker turning into a 20-point scorer and becoming one of the most effective contracts in the NBA. Atlanta signed him under an entirely different premise, expecting him to become a key role player and added depth. His evolution is worth keeping an eye on. 

Players signed for next season 

Jalen Johnson 

Dyson Daniels

Onyeka Okongwu

Nickeil Alexander-Walker 

Corey Kispert

Zaccharie Risacher

Asa Newell

Key free agents

C.J. McCollum (UFA) 

Jonathan Kuminga (team option) 

Projected salary 

$116,704,230

Projected draft picks

Nos. 7, 23 and 57

Draft focus: This team is getting good — and quickly. The Hawks need another huge bite of the apple, in the form of — preferably — a guard. Whichever player is left on the board at No. 7 with the most star upside is whom they should pick. Alternatively, using that pick to trade for a young, established player shouldn’t be ruled out. 

Roster-building tools 

The Hawks aren’t expensive, and that shouldn’t change even if they pick up Kuminga’s option and re-sign McCollum. They should have the ability to utilize their entire Non-Tax MLE if they stay as an above-the-cap team, which they should. 

Needs and goals

Next season the Hawks need to find themselves near the top of the Eastern Conference. They’re too talented and too deep to not compete for a high seed. Whatever helps them on their way — be that a top rookie or established help, it’s probably worth it. The Hawks have some flexibility, but it’s essential they make wise choices.

The Minnesota Timberwolves completed the kill shot Thursday night.

They ended the Denver Nuggets’ season, sent Nikola Jokic off to whatever offseason horse-stable sanctuary awaits him in Serbia, and won the rubber match in what has become the best rivalry this franchise has ever had. Wolves-Nuggets, Round 3: Minnesota takes it. Again.

While many of the Wolves faithful were confident heading into the series and are not surprised at the outcome. We have to admit that the way this team took down the Nuggets made absolutely no sense.

This was supposed to be the series where the Wolves needed Anthony Edwards to turn into a superhero. Then Ant got hurt. Donte DiVincenzo’s toughness and shooting were supposed to be core to the Wolves attck. Then Donte tore his Achilles. With the starting backcourt in traction, this was supposed to be the series where Ayo Dosunmu became the emergency engine. Then he was scratched with calf soreness. Kyle Anderson, one of the few remaining players who could calm the offense down in the wake of a 25-point turnover night, also became unavailable.

By Game 6, the Wolves’ depth chart was decimated.

And they still beat Denver.

They beat Jokic. They beat Jamal Murray. They beat their biggest rival. And they did it not with their full arsenal, but with the kind of team-wide, next-man-up, nobody-blinks performance that makes playoff basketball feel like something more than basketball.

Jaden McDaniels played 45 minutes, scored 32 points, and spent the night putting Jamal Murray in a straight jacket. Rudy Gobert owned the paint and helped hold Denver under 100 points for the third time in the series. Julius Randle delivered big buckets when the Nuggets started making their last desperate push. In his first playoff start, Terrence Shannon Jr. displayed zero fear, attacked downhill, and announced himself as someone who isn’t just happy to be here. Mike Conley reached into the past, stole a little more time from Father Time, and gave Minnesota the exact veteran stabilization it desperately needed. Naz Reid attacked the rim. Jaylen Clark came off the bench like a rabid wolverine. Everyone gave something.

This was not a one-man masterpiece. It was not Ant dropping 45 and carrying everyone across the finish line. It was not some fluky shooting night where the Wolves caught fire. This was team basketball at its purest with the whole becoming greater than the sum of its bruised, battered, undermanned parts.

And that is why, as the Wolves prepare for San Antonio and whatever alien geometry Victor Wembanyama is about to bring into their lives, it felt worth pausing for a second and asking a bigger question:

Where does Game 6 against Denver rank in Timberwolves history?

Not most entertaining, not wildest… I mean most important. Most meaningful. The games that mattered most to the franchise, to the fan base, to the story of Minnesota basketball.

For my list, the criteria is simple. Postseason games outrank regular-season games. I don’t care how wild some January double-overtime classic was. It cannot carry the same weight as a game where the season is actually on the line. I also prioritized clinchers and true series-defining moments. Game 1s and Game 2s can be incredible. I’ll never forget Sam Cassell’s “big balls” dance after saving Game 2 against Sacramento in 2004, but those games don’t quite hit the same historical weight as elimination games or series-clinching moments. And finally, the game had to mean something bigger than the final score. It had to shift the franchise, validate a team, break a curse, or stamp a moment into Wolves mythology.

With that said, here are the five most important games in Minnesota Timberwolves history.

5. 2026 First Round, Game 6: Timberwolves Eliminate the Nuggets

This one just happened, so maybe there’s some recency bias baked in. Fine. I’ll own that. But I also think time will be very kind to this game.

The Wolves entered Game 6 without Edwards, DiVincenzo, Dosunmu, and Anderson. They were coming off a Game 5 loss in Denver where they turned it over 25 times and invited every Wolves fan to start nervously considering a potential Game 7 in Ball Arena without their superstar. The stakes were enormous. Lose, and the entire series tilts back toward the best player on the planet. Win, and you send Denver home again.

They won.

And not only did they win, they won with defense, toughness, collective effort, and big moments from unexpected places. McDaniels was magnificent. Gobert was the anchor. Conley was the adult in the room. Shannon gave them real juice. Randle hit big shots. Clark was ready to fight Jokic. The Wolves looked like a team that had been stripped down to its bones and still found something real underneath.

Add in the rivalry, the injuries, the rubber-match element, the pre-game DiVincenzo jerseys, the Target Center electricity, and the fact that Minnesota once again ended Denver’s season, and this game absolutely belongs on the list.

4. 2025 First Round, Game 5: Timberwolves Eliminate the Lakers

This was revenge served 20 years cold.

The Lakers had always been the big brother franchise Minnesota could never touch. The Minneapolis team that left for Hollywood. The glamour team, free-agent destination, organization with banners, superstars, and a national spotlight permanently aimed in its direction. Meanwhile, the Wolves were the expansion franchise that had to fight for relevance and cut under-the-table deals just to land a Joe Smith-caliber free-agent.

It was the Lakers who took Minnesota out in the 2003 first-round and subsequently crushed the Kevin Garnett Wolves in the 2004 Western Conference Finals, ending the best chance that first great era ever had at a title.

So when Minnesota finally got another shot at them in 2025, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic on the other side, it meant something. “Lakers in five” was the chant from the moment the matchup was set. And then the Wolves spent the series proving they were bigger, deeper, tougher, and better.

Game 5 was the exclamation point. Rudy Gobert went full monster in the paint. The Lakers had no answer for Minnesota’s size. And Edwards delivered the perfect final flourish with the Antman/Batman/Superman energy and the “Lakers in five” echo bouncing through the Crypto.com Arena tunnels as Los Angeles fans tried to process what had just happened.

For once, Minnesota wasn’t the little brother. Minnesota was the bully.

3. 2004 First Round, Game 5: Timberwolves Eliminate the Nuggets

This was the curse-breaker.

For seven straight years, the Timberwolves made the playoffs and went home in the first round. Seven straight exits. Seven straight reminders that Kevin Garnett could be brilliant, heroic, and completely trapped by the limitations around him. By 2004, the weight of that history was suffocating.

Then Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell arrived, KG won MVP, and everything changed.

The Wolves won the West. They earned the No. 1 seed. And fittingly, their first-round opponent was Denver, who was led by a young Carmelo Anthony and determined to make the series as physical and uncomfortable as possible.

But the Wolves were too good. Game 5 wasn’t the most dramatic game in franchise history. It didn’t need to be. Its importance was in the release. As the final seconds ticked away, Minnesota finally escaped the first round. Garnett finally got past the wall. Wolves fans finally got to exhale after seven years of having the same nightmare.

It is hard to overstate what that meant at the time.

Before the Western Conference Finals, before the Sacramento classic, before everything else, this was the moment the franchise finally proved it could win in the playoffs.

2. 2004 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 7: Timberwolves Eliminate the Kings

This is 1B more than No. 2. Trying to separate this game from the top spot is like deciding which of your kids you love more.

The Wolves had finally broken through against Denver, but real title dreams are not made in the first round. This franchise needed more. Waiting for them was a loaded Sacramento Kings team, a battle-tested group with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and enough offensive firepower to make every possession feel dangerous.

The series was a war. The Kings nearly stole both games in Minnesota to open it. Cassell saved Game 2 with one of the most iconic celebrations in Wolves history. Then it all built to Game 7 at Target Center, on Kevin Garnett’s birthday, with the franchise’s entire basketball soul hanging in the balance.

KG delivered one of the defining performances of his career. Webber answered. The game was tense, physical, emotional, and alive in a way only Game 7s can be. And when Minnesota finally survived, Garnett leaping onto the scorer’s table and waving that towel became the signature image of the first 34 years of Timberwolves basketball.

For 20 years, this was the mountaintop.

The Wolves would not win another playoff series until 2024. That’s how long this moment had to carry the franchise.

1. 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 7: Timberwolves Eliminate the Nuggets

This is the one.

After 20 years without a playoff series victory, Minnesota swept Phoenix and finally returned to the second round. Waiting there was Denver: the defending champion, the team that had eliminated the Wolves the year before, the team with Jokic at the peak of his powers.

Minnesota stole the first two games in Denver with bruising, suffocating defense. Then the Nuggets punched back, winning three straight and putting the Wolves on the brink. Minnesota answered with a Game 6 demolition at Target Center, setting up Game 7 in Denver.

Then everything went wrong.

The Wolves fell behind by 20 in the second half. The season looked dead. The defending champions were rolling. Ball Arena was ready to celebrate. And then, somehow, impossibly, Minnesota came roaring back.

Anthony Edwards. Karl-Anthony Towns. Rudy Gobert. Jaden McDaniels. Mike Conley Jr. Naz Reid. The entire group flipped the game, flipped the series, and flipped the franchise’s modern identity. It became the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, but more than that, it became the moment this new era truly arrived.

The Wolves didn’t just win. They took something.

They took Denver’s title defense. They took the series. They took their place back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years.

And now, with Thursday night’s Game 6 win, they have added another chapter to that same story.

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That is what makes this current era so special. For so long, Wolves fans had to survive on one or two memories. Garnett on the scorer’s table. Maybe a random regular-season classic you talked yourself into because the postseason cupboard was empty.

Now?

The list is growing.

The Wolves have won first-round series three straight years. They have taken down KD and the Suns, the LeBron/Luka Lakers, the Jimmy Butler and the Warriors, and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. They have reached back-to-back Western Conference Finals and now have a chance to make it three if they can get past Wemby and San Antonio. They are no longer a franchise begging for one moment to cling to. They are building a collection.

Thursday night belongs in that collection.

And if this team has anything to say about it, the list is not finished yet.