Sports

Celtics Return to Full Strength Ahead of Milwaukee Rematch

By Keith Watkins

The Boston Celtics finished their Charlotte trip with a 119‑80 win over the Hornets on Friday night, improving to 7‑2 for the season. Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, added nine assists and eight rebounds, and finished the game after only three quarters as coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters. The next game is a rematch with the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Sunday.

The Celtics released an injury report for the Milwaukee game. It stated that there were no injuries to report. Tatum is available after resting in the last Bucks meeting, and Payton Pritchard has returned after an eye abrasion that sidelined him on Wednesday. This marks the first time the Celtics are entering the rematch at full strength in more than a week.

Tatum’s performance in Charlotte was his best shooting night of the season. He shot 22.9% from three‑point range heading into Friday, made five threes before halftime, and finished 5‑of‑8 from beyond the arc. Coach Mazzulla noted that the high first‑half output did not come at the expense of poor shooting.

After the game, Tatum said he is not yet where he wants to be. "Hell no," he replied when asked if he feels fully healthy. "I wish. I'm getting there, but no. How I felt before I got hurt was really, really good. I don't feel too far, and again, I still only played less than 40 games since I've been back, so still in the quote‑unquote rehab phase of returning to play." He added that he is still building back to the version of himself that existed before his Achilles rupture last year.

Despite the injury concerns, Tatum is averaging over 27 points per game with more than six assists in every appearance this season. "We're gonna get there, though," he said.

Milwaukee saw how the Celtics performed without Tatum last Wednesday, with Paul George and Derrick White carrying the load. The Bucks nearly erased a 21‑point deficit and briefly took the lead before Boston held on. With the full roster back, the Celtics look to continue their momentum in Sunday’s game.

This article was originally published on HEAVY.