As it heads to Boston on Sunday evening, San Antonio will try its best to pull off a significant upset there. The Spurs have lost three games in a row and five of their last seven. Boston has won four of its last five games, beating Indiana in a 120-95 blowout on Friday.
The latest injury update for Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs
FOR THE CELTICS
The Boston Celtics have eight games left in the regular season and may need to win them all to secure the Eastern Conference’s top seed in the playoffs.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics will play their first of eight games against the San Antonio Spurs, a team that has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for quite some time.
The Celtics (51-23) have won six of their last eight games and are second in the NBA’s standings, behind only Milwaukee.
The Bucks led the Celtics by 2 1/2 games with a 53-20 record heading into their game in Denver on Saturday night. The remaining schedule for the Boston Bruins has five home games.
Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played well in the Celtics’ 120-95 victory over the Pacers on Friday night.
Tatum led all scorers with 34 points, and Brown added 27 more in the winning effort. Seven boards were grabbed by each player.
This is the 40th game this season in which Tatum has scored at least 30 points.
Keith Smith of Spotrac.com says that Tatum’s status for Sunday’s game against the Spurs is in doubt due to a left hip contusion.
On Sunday, Tatum may sit out for the sixth time this season due to a damaged left hip. Since the Spurs are currently in tank mode, the Celtics may decide to rest Tatum tonight.
If this were to happen, Jaylen Brown would run the show offensively, giving Sam Hauser, Grant Williams, and Derrick White more playing time.
Brown stated that he has been working to contribute more on both ends of the court.
Let’s keep playing tonight despite the fact that some Celtics players are out with injuries.
| PLAYER | INJURY |
STATUS
|
| Jayson Tatum | Hip |
Game Time Decision
|
| Payton Pritchard | Heel |
Game Time Decision
|
| Danilo Gallinari | Knee |
Expected to be out until at least Apr 15
|
FOR THE SPURS
Keldon Johnson, who had missed two games with a neck strain, returned for Friday night’s 136-124 loss to Washington as the Spurs (19-55) continued to play shorthanded. In 31 minutes of action, Johnson scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists.
Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com writes that Johnson‘s status against the Celtics on Sunday is in doubt due to a foot injury.
On Friday against the Wizards, Johnson returned from a two-game hiatus and performed superbly, scoring 30 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out four assists in 31 minutes.
Yet, he, like many other Spurs rotation players, is likely to spend the rest of the season on the injured list.
It was the fifth time he had a double-double and the eighth time he scored at least 30 points this season.
San Antonio, losers of three straight and five of their last six, will play their final game of a four-game road trip on Sunday.
When the Spurs last met the Celtics, they, too, were missing three starters but still put up a valiant effort. Tatum scored 34 points on the night of January 7 in San Antonio, and his team beat the Spurs 121-116.
The Spurs never led, but a 3-pointer by Josh Richardson with 37.1 seconds left tied the score at 116. Tatum quickly responded with a jump shot of his own, regaining the lead for the Celtics. Johnson, Vassell, and Jakob Poeltl weren’t able to participate, but San Antonio still managed to win.
At the NBA trade deadline, both Richardson (to the New Orleans Pelicans) and Poeltl (to the Toronto Raptors) changed teams.
Devin Vassell (knee injury management), Jeremy Sochan (knee), Zach Collins (bruised bicep), and Romeo Langford (backup) were all out for the Spurs (adductor injury management).
| PLAYER | INJURY |
STATUS
|
| Khem Birch | Knee |
Game Time Decision
|
| Keldon Johnson | Foot |
Game Time Decision
|
| Malaki Branham | Back |
Game Time Decision
|
| Jeremy Sochan | Knee |
Expected to be out until at least Mar 29
|
| Romeo Langford | Thigh |
Game Time Decision
|
| Charles Bassey | Kneecap |
Out for the season
|
