Luka Garza took a hard blow to the head Wednesday as he fought for an offensive rebound against the 76ers, leading to him hitting the ground hard. The Celtics big man was down for a few seconds, with C’s coach Joe Mazzulla nearby yelling at him to get up, before he eventually got up to play a few more possessions.
But Garza didn’t return to the game after getting subbed out. The big man was downgraded to out as he entered concussion protocols. Garza finished his C’s debut with six minutes played, one rebound, one block and shooting 0-for-2 from the field (both 3-pointers). The Celtics fell to the 76ers 117-116 in a close game Wednesday at TD Garden.
Garza’s status is up in the air in the short-term going forward. The play where he got hit in the head was when he collided with the Sixers’ Adem Bona as both players went for the loose ball. Eventually, Payton Pritchard ended up with the offensive rebound and layup amid all the chaos.
The Celtics rolled with a 10-man rotation throughout the first half with Garza getting some big man minutes, along with Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman. If Garza has to miss any time, expect those two guys to get most of the playing time. Queta had a nice season debut, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes before fouling out.
Garza signed with the Celtics this offseason, sensing opportunity in the big man rotation. He’ll look to get healthy after the unfortunate blow in the season opener. The Celtics face the Knicks on Friday, so Garza’s status should be known soon for that game once the injury report comes out ahead of time.
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