Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Indiana Pacers? Latest update on four-time NBA all-star's availability (Jan. 8)

Jayson Tatum has been the clear-cut leader of the mighty Boston Celtics this season and has been in the talks for MVP. Up next on Boston's schedule is the Indiana Pacers on the road at the Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Monday.

For those who want to catch the action, the game starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and will be shown on Bally Sports WI and KJZZ. NBA League Pass will have the game up on their online live streaming platform through a subscription.

According to the recent reports from Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum is ruled out from game against Pacers due to an ankle injury. Sam Hauser and Kristaps Porzingis are also on injury list. The two of them will be game-time decisions.

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What happened to Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum missed the Toronto Raptors game on Dec. 29 due to an ankle injury. He has played four games after that before the injury recurred. Since then, the Celtics have been closely monitoring his ankle game by game.

There's no word yet if the Celtics will prefer to bench him to avoid aggravating the injury. He has been bothered by the injury since Dec. 27, and his health is critical to the team's success this season.

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Jayson Tatum's stats vs Indiana Pacers

This is the fourth time that both teams are facing off this season. The Boston Celtics have won two of the three encounters, and their most recent matchup on Saturday was won 118-101 by Boston.

Jayson Tatum had monster numbers, providing the Celtics with 38 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and eight 3-pointers. He shot 23 times and made 14 of them.

On Dec. 4, Tatum also led the team in multiple categories against the Pacers. He tallied 32 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and shot 50%.

The Boston Celtics blew away the Indiana Pacers in their first meeting of the season on Nov. 1, with the final score reading 115-104. Tatum was again the team's leader in points with 30. He also had 12 rebounds, four assists and three triples.

In three games against the Pacers this season, Jayson Tatum has averaged 33.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

It's a clear that the Celtics forward is critical to the team's success against the Pacers. So there's a high probability that he could play through the injury, just like in other games.