Will four-time All-NBA Boston Celtics champion power forward Jayson Tatum be available for his team’s tilt against the lowly Utah Jazz on Friday night?
Per Underdog NBA, the 6-foot-8 pro is not on the Celtics’ injury report, and is expected to be available to suit up.
Jayson Tatum (knee) not on injury report for Friday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) March 20, 2025
According to the latest league injury report, Tatum’s All-Star running mate, small forward Jaylen Brown, is out with a right knee posterior impingement. Big man Xavier Tillman is on the shelf with a left knee joint sprain, but otherwise Boston’s standard roster injury report is (surprisingly) clean.
Utah will be without several key players. All-Star combo forward Lauri Markkanen is on the shelf due to personal reasons — which, presumably Utah brass doesn’t mind, given that he is by far the team’s best player and could mess up its lottery chances.
Former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, a key microwave scorer for Utah, has been downgraded to questionable with a foot injury.
Jordan Clarkson (foot) now questionable Friday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) March 21, 2025
Jazz forward John Collins (left ankle sprain), KJ Martin (right elbow bursitis), and Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture) are all sidelined already. Two-way players Oscar Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless are both with Utah’s G League affiliate club, the Salt Lake City Stars.
The Celtics and Jazz find themselves on opposite spots in the standings this season. At 16-54, Utah has the second-worst record in the league — and thus, the top odds (along with the 15-53 Washington Wizards and the 18-51 Charlotte Hornets) of securing the No. 1 pick in this summer’s starry 2025 NBA Draft.
The team has been in the lottery doldrums for years now, since finally pivoting from its Donovan Mitchell/Rudy Gobert/Mike Conley core in 2022.
Although Utah has made some intriguing draft picks, the team has yet to uncover a true young superstar. Markkanen, a one-time All-Star with the Jazz, is the closest they’ve gotten — unfortunately, he’s 27 and already seems to be regressing.
Boston, meanwhile, boasts a stellar 50-19 record and still has an outside shot at notching a second straight 60-win season. The Celtics have clinched a playoff berth already, and seem firmly ensconced in the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. The team is six games behind the 56-13 Cleveland Cavaliers and seven games ahead of the 43-26 New York Knicks, with just 13 games left on its regular season schedule.
This year, Tatum looks as dominant as ever. Through 63 healthy games, the six-time All-Star out of Duke is averaging 27.1 points on .454/.352/.812 shooting splits, 8.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists a night.
