The Celtics could be extremely short-handed when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday evening. Jayson Tatum (right Achilles repair management), Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendonitis), Neemias Queta (right thumb sprain), and Derrick White (right knee contusion) are all questionable to play.
And, Nikola Vucevic remains out as he continues to recover from a fractured right ring finger he suffered on March 6th.
Brown, Queta, and White were all questionable ahead of Friday’s game against the Hawks with their respective injuries, but only Brown missed time. Joe Mazzulla said Brown was day-to-day and did not offer more specifics regarding the extent of his injury.
Sunday’s game is the first in a four-game Celtics road trip — and comes on the first night of a back-to-back for Boston. They’ll face the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, the Miami Heat on Wednesday, and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
The Hornets will be mostly healthy except for Tidjane Salaun, who is out with a left calf strain.
How the Celtics, Hornets stack up
The Celtics and Hornets have faced off once this season, with Charlotte coming away with a 118-89 win over Boston on March 4th. That was one of the Celtics’ largest losses of the season, and came amid the Hornets playing some of their best basketball of the season.
The Hornets have been steadily climbing through the standings, and now have a 39-34 record, good for 8th-best in the Eastern Conference. They have a 13-5 record since the All-Star break, and could be a prospective first-round matchup for Boston.
The Celtics widened their lead for second place in the East with a 109-102 win over the Hawks on Friday.
After this game, the Celtics and Hornets will face off again on April 7th in Boston for one final regular-season match-up.
Celtics-Hornets tips off at 6pm ET on Sunday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
