Jayson Tatum said several Boston Celtics players are making physical sacrifices in their defence of the NBA Championship, having again played through a wrist injury in Sunday's Game 4 win over the Orlando Magic.

Tatum missed a playoff game for the first time in his career in Game 2 of the first-round series, having hurt his right wrist following a hard foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Game 1. 

But since returning for the teams' third matchup – a 95-93 defeat in which he had 36 points – the six-time All-Star has not looked back.

He had 37 points and 14 rebounds at Kia Center on Sunday, as Boston triumphed 107-98 to move within one victory of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum was seen grimacing and flexing his wrist after taking another hard foul from the Magic's physical defense on Sunday, but he will continue playing through the pain.

"I know what I'm dealing with," Tatum said. "My team knows how serious it is, but it's that time of year. We're all sacrificing our bodies and going through things. It's the playoffs."

After sinking one 25-foot 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, Tatum celebrated by holding his injured wrist, wrapped in protective tape, up to the Orlando fans.

Asked about that celebration, Tatum said: "I think people are taking notice, and it's a new thing for now."

 

 

 

 

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Earlier in the series, teammate Al Horford suggested the Magic's physical approach to defending Tatum went too far, but Boston coach Joe Mazzulla had nothing but praise for their opponents after the win.

Mazzulla said: "Orlando are a great team. They're well-coached. They have a little bit of everything. 

"They've got versatility defensively. They've got two guys that can score at three levels. They've got shooting, and they've got a ton of versatility. The gameplan execution is very simple."

Kristaps Porzingis bounced back with 19 points, having only scored seven in Boston's Game 3 defeat, but his attention was drawn back to Tatum and his highlight-reel 3-pointer.

"I thought in my head, 'This guy is special,'" Porzingis said of his reaction to Tatum's 3, which came moments after he took another foul. "He's developed more of a killer instinct, 

"He's been getting us big buckets in this series and last year's playoffs. Thanks to him, we were right there, and today again he was phenomenal."

Game 5 takes place at TD Garden on Tuesday, with Boston a win away from setting up a series against either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons.