Jayson Tatum could miss his first game since returning from injury when the Celtics face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. Tatum is listed as questionable to play with “right Achilles repair reconditioning.” He’s appeared in three games so far for the Celtics, averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Derrick White is also questionable to play as he deals with a right knee contusion. It appears likely he suffered that injury at the end of the third quarter of Tuesday’s Celtics
game against the San Antonio Spurs, though the team has yet to specify.
And, the Celtics continue to be without Nikola Vucevic, who fractured his right index finger last Friday and underwent surgery on Saturday. The Celtics said then that Vucevic would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, meaning he’s unlikely to return with much time to spare in the regular season.
With Vucevic sidelined, Luka Garza is likely to keep seeing increased minutes. Across the three games since Vucevic’s injury, he’s averaged 6.7 points in 17.7 minutes, after falling out of the rotation since the trade deadline.
Payton Pritchard, who missed Tuesday’s game due to neck spasms, is probable.
How the Celtics, Thunder stack up
The Thunder, despite an injury-riddled 2025-2026 campaign, have been the NBA’s best team all season long. They’re 51-15, have the league’s best net rating at +10.8. The Thunder have the NBA’s best defensive rating at 106.2, and its 7th-best offensive rating at 117. They’ve won 9 of their last 10 games, and 6 straight.
The Thunder have been without Jalen Williams (hamstring), Alex Caruso (hip), and Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) of late.
But different players have stepped up in their absence. For example, against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Jaylin Williams exploded for 29 points and 12 rebounds. And guards Ajay Mitchell (a 2024 second-round pick) and Jared McCain (acquired at the trade deadline) have played key minutes off the bench.
And, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like the MVP front-runner; he’s averaging 31.7 points and 6.6 assists per game, while shooting 55.1% from the field and 38.3% from three.
After losing to the Spurs on Tuesday, the Celtics are 43-22 and have the NBA’s second-best net rating at +7.9. The Celtics have the league’s second-best offensive rating (119.8) and fifth-best defensive rating (111.8).
The two teams have yet to face each other this season, but will meet twice this month, the second match-up coming on March 25th at TD Garden.
Last year, the Celtics went 0-2 against the Thunder.
The Celtics are set to face the Thunder on Thursday at 9pm ET at Paycom Center.
