Jayson Tatum will switch from player back to spectator Thursday night as the Celtics visit Oklahoma City.
Boston ruled out Tatum for its game against the NBA-leading Thunder with what the team called “right Achilles injury management.” The Celtics initially listed him as questionable on Wednesday’s injury report.
The six-time All-Star wing returned from Achilles surgery last Friday and started each of the Celtics’ last three games, logging 27 minutes each in wins over Dallas and Cleveland and Tuesday’s loss to San Antonio. Tatum has been on a minutes restriction as he reacclimates following a nearly 10-month layoff, and holding him out of Thursday’s highly anticipated matchup appears to be part of that same ramp-up plan.
Second-year pro Baylor Scheierman is the top candidate to replace Tatum in the starting lineup against OKC, which owns the NBA’s best record at 51-15 and is riding a six-game win streak. Scheierman started 10 consecutive games before Tatum’s return, and he delivered one of the best performances of his career in Sunday’s road victory over the Cavaliers, tallying 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 10 assists in 26 minutes off the bench.
Two-way player Ron Harper Jr. also could see increased opportunities with Tatum sidelined. Harper had a career night Tuesday against the Spurs, doubling his previous personal best with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a game Jaylen Brown was ejected from before halftime.
Starting guard Derrick White, who scored a team-high 34 points in the loss to San Antonio, remained questionable as of Thursday afternoon with a right knee contusion. Sixth man Payton Pritchard was upgraded to available after missing Tuesday’s game with a neck spasm.
Backup center Nikola Vucevic (fractured finger) will miss his third straight game after undergoing surgery last weekend. He is not expected back until late March at the earliest.
Thursday’s meeting is the first of the season between the Thunder and Celtics, who rank first and second in the league in net rating, respectively. It’s also a potential NBA Finals preview, with oddsmakers pegging OKC and Boston as the current favorites to win their respective conferences.