BOSTON — Grant Williams has yet to play at TD Garden since he signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2023. But the former Celtics forward will return to the Garden when the Celtics face the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, with the Hornets fielding a clear injury report.
For the first time all year, the Celtics also have a completely clear injury report. With Nikola Vucevic back in the lineup, they will be at full strength when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.
Vucevic, who was out
for a month due to a ring finger fracture, made his return on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, tallying 4 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes.
“He just wants to win,” Joe Mazzulla said of the 35-year-old. “He’s been in the league a long time. If anything, making sure he’s aggressive enough to where we have the best version of him, so we could add another layer to what we want to accomplish, is the most important thing.”
Vucevic has averaged 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 21 minutes per game through 13 games with the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum — who has only missed two games since returning from his Achilles injury — is not on the injury report. Jaylen Brown, who missed two games with Achilles tendinopathy, is also available.
How the Celtics, Hornets stack up
The Celtics and Hornets have faced off twice this season — both in March. The Hornets beat the Celtics 118-89 on March 4th, and the Celtics bounced back with a 114-99 win in Charlotte on March 29th.
Now, the two teams will face off in a third and final match-up in what could be a first-round preview; the Hornets currently have the 8th-best record in the East.
Provided that the Celtics hold onto the No.2 seed, the Celtics will face the winner of the No. 7 vs No. 8 game (the Toronto Raptors currently have the 7th-best record in the East at 43-35).
The Hornets have been exceptional as of late; they’re 22-8 since January 31st, the 5th-best record in the NBA. The Celtics have the third-best record in that span — they’re 23-7, the third-best record in the league.
Celtics-Hornets tips off at 7:30pm ET on Tuesday night.
