Celtics injury report: Two starters, Jayson Tatum won’t play vs. Bucks
The Celtics are giving two of their starters the night off Monday in Milwaukee.
Coming off the first end of a back-to-back, Boston ruled out Jaylen Brown (illness) and Neemias Queta (rest) for its road game against the Bucks. Jayson Tatum (Achilles) also remained sidelined.
Queta delivered arguably the best performance of his NBA career Sunday night against Philadelphia, tallying 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 17 rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 27 minutes as the Celtics won 114-98 at TD Garden. Brown played 38 minutes and had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Both have been among the Celtics’ most important players this season, with Brown posting career-best numbers in Tatum’s absence and Queta, a fourth-stringer last season, emerging as a valuable starting center. Queta entered Monday with the seventh-best individual net rating in the NBA.
“I’m very pleased just to see his progression,” Brown said of Queta. “He’s been working hard all season long. I’ve been in his ear talking to him, and he’s done a good job this year. And I think he has another level that he can tap into, and I feel like he’s starting to tap into that next level. So that’s big. So he’s got to keep empowering that. We’re telling him when he’s doing well, get him some feedback when he’s not doing well. But (Sunday night) was excellent.”
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Sunday’s game was pushed back two hours to air in NBC’s 8 p.m. timeslot, making for an even quicker turnaround for Boston. Celtics-Bucks will tip off at 6:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET).
Queta’s rest day could push veteran center Nikola Vucevic into the starting lineup for the first time since his trade to Boston in early February. Vucevic, who has 11 points and 12 rebounds against the 76ers, has played well on Boston’s second unit, though Brown continues to urge him to play more aggressively on the offensive end.
Mazzulla also could give the nod to third center Luka Garza, who was pushed out of the rotation following Vucevic’s arrival. Over a 23-game stretch from Dec. 20 to Feb. 4, Garza scored in double figures 14 times and averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Boston’s frontcourt will face a stiff challenge against the scuffling Bucks, as two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return to the lineup after missing five-plus weeks with a calf strain, per a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
As for Tatum, he’s not yet ready to return from Achilles surgery but could make his season debut as early as this week. Tatum has said his first game back would be at TD Garden, and the Celtics are set to host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday and Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Second-year Celtics wing Baylor Scheierman, who played through a fractured thumb Sunday night, was not listed on the team’s latest injury report.
