A trio of Boston Celtics standouts may miss a potential 2025 NBA Finals preview on Wednesday.
Per Noa Dalzell of CLNS, six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum (right knee tendinopathy), four-time All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown (right knee tendinopathy), and one-time All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis could all theoretically sit out a prime-time clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Celtics Injury Report vs. Oklahoma City (3/12):
Jaylen Brown – Right Knee Posterior Impingement – PROBABLE
Kristaps Porzingis – Illness (Non-Covid) – DOUBTFUL
Jayson Tatum – Right Knee Tendinopathy – QUESTIONABLE
ā Noa Dalzell š (@NoaDalzell) March 11, 2025
At 53-12, Oklahoma City is 11 games clear of the No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets (42-23) for the top record in the Western Conference. The Thunder have the second-best record in the league, behind only the 54-10 Cleveland Cavaliers. The 47-18 Celtics occupy the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland, and the third-best record in the league overall.
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Brown’s arrival to the injury report is concerning. With Tatum and Porzingis (plus sixth man center/power forward Al Horford) already out against the Utah Jazz in a narrow 114-108 win on Monday, Brown, Derrick White and eighth man forward Sam Hauser stepped up in a big way. Hauser did most of his damage from beyond the arc, while Brown and White made a big impact in the post.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White BOTH broke Walker Kesslerās ankles last night š¬
-#celtics #bostonceltics
ā”ļø by PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/QkwTl0g8Oi
ā Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 11, 2025
Brown missed all five of his long range looks, but went 8-of-15 from inside the arc and got aggressive in drawing contact, ultimately going 10-of-11 from the foul line. He finished with 26 points, eight boards, seven dimes, three swipes and a block. White went a rough 3-of-11 from long range, but a solid 3-of-5 from inside, while going 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also dished out 10 assists, pulled down five rebounds, and rejected three shots.
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While the Jazz contest was the first game Tatum missed, it certainly seems possible the All-NBA superstar could sit out at least one more bout before returning to the fold. Porzingis’ fate is murkier. The 7-foot-2 big man has missed seven of Boston’s last eight contests, and for the last six has been sidelined with a viral illness that continues to befuddle Boston brass.
Across 60 healthy games this year, Tatum seems primed to make his sixth All-NBA team. He’s averaging 27.2 points on .455/.355/.804 shooting splits, 8.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks per bout as the club’s clear best player.
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