Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Cleveland Cavaliers? Looking at 5x All-Star's status for Game 1 (May 7)

Boston Celtics standout Jayson Tatum is listed as available for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference’s semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Cleveland was nearly ousted by the youthful Orlando Magic, requiring seven games to move on to the second round. In the decisive Game 7, the Cavaliers found themselves down by 18 points in the first half, teetering on the brink of an early exit for the second consecutive year. However, Donovan Mitchell ignited after halftime, fueling a Cavaliers rally that led to a comfortable 106-94 victory.

After dominating the Miami Heat in the first round and overcoming last year's playoff hurdles, the Celtics are now focusing on the surging Cavaliers. They lost one home game in the opening round but won the other four by an average margin of 22 points, establishing themselves as the clear frontrunners to emerge from the Eastern Conference for the NBA Finals.

Their impressive season-long performance continues to draw attention, though they will be missing key center Kristaps Porzingis. He sustained a calf injury during Boston's Game 4 victory and does not yet have a return date. TNT's Chris Haynes reported on May 1 that the 7-foot-3 center is unlikely to participate in the second round. While Cleveland is without Jarrett Allen, there is a possibility he could return during this series.

During the regular season, the Celtics led the league by taking a higher percentage of jump shots than any other team, with 57.0% of their attempts coming from the perimeter. This trend increased slightly in the first round, with the rate climbing to 58.0%.

They also led the league in outscoring opponents from 3-point range by an average of 10.7 points per game during the regular season and improved that margin to plus -11.4 against Miami. However, facing a spirited Cavaliers team may not be as straightforward.

What happened to Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum missed eight games this season, including two due to a right ankle impingement. Additionally, Tatum had to leave a game early against the Warriors on Dec. 19 after suffering a left ankle sprain.

The injury happened just before the eight-minute mark of the first quarter when Tatum inadvertently stepped on Brandin Podziemski's foot. Following the incident, Tatum hobbled to the locker room for evaluation. Although he returned at the beginning of the second quarter, he was noticeably less explosive, which significantly affected his performance.