On paper, the Celtics’ roster looks ill-equipped to handle injuries to any of its most important players.
Boston has spent the last week upending that narrative.
Over their last four games, the Celtics have played one without one starter, another without two starters and a third in which one starter left with an injury six minutes in and did not return. Their record in those three contests: 3-0.
The latest was a 117-115 road win over the Cavaliers on Sunday. Cleveland was dealing with its own injury issues, but it still had three 2025 All-Stars in the lineup (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley), and Boston was playing on the second night of a back-to-back while starters Derrick White and Neemias Queta watched from the bench in street clothes.
Payton Pritchard’s season-best 42 points and Jaylen Brown’s 19-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double dominated headlines after the upset victory, but the Celtics also got vital contributions from a squadron of role players.
Jordan Walsh, now an every-night starter after beginning the season outside of head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, set career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including six offensive boards, in his first NBA double-double. His gritty steal after a Cavs defensive rebound and subsequent free throws shifted momentum back toward Boston after Cleveland dominated the final minutes of the third quarter and opening stretch of the fourth.
Defensively, Walsh guarded Mitchell — a Celtics killer in many of the teams’ previous matchups — for 43 partial possessions, per NBA player tracking. Mitchell’s numbers against him: 2-for-8, four points, two turnovers, no free-throw attempts. The first-team All-NBA guard finished with just 18 points, six of which came on a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute.
“Tonight, I thought you saw the best version of what (Walsh) is on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla, who’s also tasked Walsh with guarding the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Jaren Jackson Jr. and James Harden, told reporters postgame. “He can be that every night, and he’s learning that, but that’s the Jordan that we need if we want to get to a different level this year.”
Elsewhere, Xavier Tillman replaced Queta in the starting lineup and delivered easily his best performance of the season. Minutes have been hard to come by for the veteran big man, who hardly played last season and was a DNP in 10 of the Celtics’ previous 11 games before Sunday. But he capitalized on his rare opportunity for extended playing time.
Over his 30 minutes against the Cavs — the most he’s logged in a Celtics uniform — Tillman tallied nine points, six rebounds, three steals, one block and zero fouls, buoying a frontcourt that’s often struggled without Queta on the floor this season.
“X is the ultimate professional,” Mazzulla told reporters. “The ultimate professional. Whether he plays every game or he misses 10 games, I have a level of trust that he’s going to go out there, he’s going to execute and he’s going to do exactly what we want. That’s really hard to do in this league, and you can’t take a guy like that for granted. He works. He’s always ready. … It was big-time by him.”
A pair of Celtics rookies also stepped up in smaller roles.
Hugo Gonzalez grabbed a steal and hit a 3-pointer to put Boston up 97-90 midway through the fourth quarter, and Amari Williams contested Mobley’s last-second missed jumper that would have forced overtime. Williams, a second-round draft pick on a two-way contract, had not played since the first quarter when Mazzulla subbed him in with 0.6 seconds remaining.
Mazzulla singled out the young center in his postgame locker room address, as seen in a team-released video.
“Amari, not playing (much) in the game and then having to go in in a need-two situation — like, you don’t understand how important those details are,” the coach said. “Every possession gives you a chance, and you end up guarding the guy on that last play. That’s a great mindset win.”
With the win, the Celtics improved to 11-9 on the season and 6-2 in their last eight games. They’ve notched two wins over the Cavs, one over the first-place Pistons and two over the Magic, all of whom are expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title. They’ll face another East favorite Tuesday night when the Knicks visit TD Garden, with tough matchups against the star-studded Lakers (home on Friday) and upstart Raptors (away on Sunday) looming later this week.
The ceiling for this Celtics team remains unclear, but they’ve proven they’re not punting on this season after losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles and gutting their championship-winning roster. Entering Monday’s action, Boston sat just one game back of sixth place in the East and 2 1/2 games out of second.