As the crowd at TD Garden erupted with suspense, the officials reviewed the play. The referees determined that Sabonis’s actions were reckless and upgraded the foul to a flagrant penalty one, which allowed Tatum to shoot two free throws before potentially exiting the game. The stakes were high for the Celtics, who held a 10-point lead at the time. However, the immediate focus was on Tatum’s health, as he needed to make at least one of the free throws to remain eligible to continue playing.