Tatum ruled out Sunday vs. Wizards with ankle sprain

The Boston Celtics will be without star forward Jayson Tatum for Sunday's encounter with the Washington Wizards due to an ankle sprain, the team announced.

Tatum will miss his first game of the 2022-23 season. The 24-year-old started in all 19 of Boston's contests, averaging 36.9 minutes of action. In the Celtics' last game - an 18-point win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday - Tatum registered just over 31 minutes, his second-lowest total of the campaign.

The three-time All-Star is in the midst of a career year, posting personal bests in points (30.5 per game), assists (4.6), and blocks (1.2). He's also pulling down 7.9 rebounds per game while recording shooting splits of 47.7/35.2/86.9. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring and is building a strong early case to win his first MVP award.

The Celtics have been far better when their 6-foot-8 star is on the floor. The Eastern Conference leaders score 120.5 points per 100 possessions when Tatum plays, but their offensive rating plummets to 109.3 when he sits.

Boston will also be without Danilo Gallinari and Robert Williams on Sunday. Both are recovering from knee surgeries.