Jayson Tatum and the Celtics appear to have dodged a bullet Monday night in Sacramento.

Tatum exited Boston’s 113-95 win over the Kings in the third quarter after sustaining an ankle injury. The star forward pulled up for a 3-point attempt and stepped on Domantas Sabonis, who received a Flagrant 1 foul for invading Tatum’s landing space. Tatum remained down on the floor for a few moments before he received medical attention, attempted free throws and left the court for the locker room.

After the game, Tatum told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne his ankle was “just sore” but the Celtics were “going to be cautious” about his situation moving forward. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla also addressed Tatum’s status after the C’s won their sixth straight.

“He seems to be doing OK,” Mazzulla told reporters, per ESPN. “I didn’t see the play, but they made the right call. Fortunate that he was able to shoot the free throws. (He’s) taking care of it right now. …I literally just asked him how he was doing, and he said, ‘OK.’ He’ll do anything and everything to make sure he gets better.”

The Celtics, who currently are 4 1/2 games back of first place in the Eastern Conference, have 10 games left on their regular-season schedule. Don’t be surprised if Tatum sits out at least a few of those, as Boston will need its best player in peak form if it wants to retain its NBA title this summer.

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