Payton Pritchard will be sidelined in Tuesday’s Celtics game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics guard is dealing with neck spasms and was previously listed as questionable. He was ruled out after the Celtics’ shootaround on Tuesday morning.
Pritchard has anchored the Celtics’ second unit since the midseason trade deadline, after starting for the first half of the year. This season, he’s averaging 16.9 points and 5.4 assists,
while shooting 46.1% from the field and 36.2% from three.
He’s appeared in 63 of the Celtics’ 64 games this season, averaging 32.5 minutes per night — the third-most minutes on the team. His lone absence came in a January game against the Atlanta Hawks, when he was sidelined with left ankle soreness.
Pritchard did appear on the injury report with a neck spasm in December, but did not end up missing time with that injury. It’s unknown if this current issue is related to the previous one.
Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr. could see increased minutes in Pritchard’s absence
With Pritchard sidelined tonight, Baylor Scheierman is likely to continue seeing extended minutes. Scheierman has seen his production — and minutes — increase as of late; he’s averaging 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game over his last 15 games. He put together one of his best-ever NBA games on Sunday, tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Scheierman became a regular Celtics starter after Anfernee Simons was traded to the Chicago Bulls in mid-February, but was moved back to the bench upon Tatum’s return last Friday.
It’s also possible that Joe Mazzulla turns to Ron Harper Jr. for some spot minutes. Harper Jr, one of three two-way players, saw his role increase in February; he started two games with Jaylen Brown sidelined, and appeared in 8 games, averaging 16.4 points. With the Celtics down a ball-handler, Harper Jr. could see the floor — and potentially face his younger brother, Dylan, who is a rookie on the Spurs. Though he hasn’t played in the two games since Tatum’s return, Mazzulla has shown a willingness to turn to the 25-year-old when the team has been a bit shorthanded.
Celtics-Spurs tips off at 8pm ET.
