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The Boston Celtics are locked into the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference as the 2019 NBA Playoffs approach. And because of that, along with a few injuries, the team has opted to sit a number of players against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. But two of the players sidelined come with some level of concern due to their injuries.
Both Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart suffered setbacks in their previous game and will sit out against the Wizards. But they aren’t Boston’s only players getting the night off, as fans will see the reserves and one or two others receive extended run.
We’re going to take a look at the latest on Tatum’s status moving forward as well as the Celtics injury report and starting lineup on Tuesday.
Celtics Injury Report & Jayson Tatum’s Status Moving Forward
As the league’s official injury report details, Boston is missing seven players, so we’re bound to see a very unique starting five. Here’s a look at the latest breakdown of who’s sidelined for the Celtics.
- Aron Baynes (left ankle soreness): Out
- Gordon Hayward (left ankle soreness): Out
- Al Horford (left knee soreness): Out
- Kyrie Irving (right knee contusion): Out
- Marcus Morris (right patellar tendinopathy): Out
- Marcus Smart (left oblique contusion): Out
- Jayson Tatum (left shin contusion): Out
On a positive note, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald revealed that Tatum had taken an MRI on his shin and that the results were negative. Celtics coach Brad Stevens addressed the outlook of both Tatum and Smart, citing that both were able to get some on-court work in on Monday.
“Obviously we’ve got a lot of guys at home,” said Stevens. “As far as long-term injuries, the two that people have asked about the most are Tatum and Smart, obviously, both are going to get on the court today. What that means, I don’t know. I’ll know more tomorrow when we practice and after they go through everything that they’re doing today. They are in kinda the first step of testing themselves, I guess you would say.”
Stevens also stated that Smart could be back at practice this week or that the injury could potentially hold him out “a little bit longer.”
Celtics Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Wizards
*Notates expected starter
C: Robert Williams*
PF: Guerschon Yabusele*, Daniel Theis
SF: Semi Ojeleye*
SG: Jaylen Brown*, R.J. Hunter, P.J. Dozier
PG: Terry Rozier*, Brad Wanamaker
Obviously, the Celtics are incredibly thin at a number of positions and it’s unknown how many minutes both Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier will even wind up playing. Regardless, fans could see a lot of playing time for the likes of Robert Williams, Daniel Theis, Semi Ojeleye and Brad Wanamaker.
This is a great spot for the Celtics to get some young players extended run before the playoffs when their numbers likely won’t be called all that often.
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Celtics Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Wizards; Jayson Tatum Injury Status