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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
