Why is Jayson Tatum not playing tonight against Trail Blazers? Latest injury update for Celtics guard (April 7)

Jayson Tatum will not play in the Boston Celtics' home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Jay King of The Athletic reported that Tatum will sit out with a knee issue. The game tips off at 6 p.m. ET.

Tatum played a healthy dose of minutes in the Celtics win against the Sacramento Kings 101-100 win on Friday. He was pulled with nine minutes left in the game.

The Celtics have nothing left to play for. They have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the East. They also clinched the best record in the NBA and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Jayson Tatum will be out, but his injury is not likely serious. Sunday provides a great opportunity to rest the star as the Celtics are -17.5 point favorites at home against the tanking Blazers. His All-Star counterpart Jaylen Brown will play, however.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he wants his team to continue to win despite having the No. 1 seed wrapped up. He did sit Jaylen Brown and Derrick White on Friday. He also pulled his starters early in the fourth quarter of Friday's win.

There is no word on how long Brown will play against the struggling Blazers team. Tatum is the only Celtic listed on the injury report. Portland has lost eight of their last ten but won their last two. Boston has won four in a row.

Jayson Tatum season stats

Tatum may not play much down the stretch for the Celtics' four remaining games after Sunday.

Tatum might be playing for MVP voting. However, it seems Nikola Jokic has wrapped up another MVP award, and Tatum has a long shot at winning.

Jayson Tatum still had a solid season as the best player on the best team and offense in the league. He is averaging 27.0 ppg this season. That is 7th in the NBA.

Tatum hit a season-high 45 points twice this season. He did it once in an overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets on November 20. He did it again in an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 10.

Tatum has also stepped up his playmaking skills this season. He is averaging 4.9 assists per game. That would mark a career-high for him in a season.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are the title favorites as the regular season nears its end. They are +185 to win the championship. The Denver Nuggets are second at +340. The LA Clippers are third at +700.