The Boston Celtics received a major boost on the injury front ahead of the final game before the All-Star break. Marcus Smart, who has missed the last 11 games with a sprained ankle, will make his return on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, while Jayson Tatum is back after a one-game absence due to illness and Derrick White is likely, although he needs to see an audiologist.
Just 24 hours earlier, the health situation was much grimmer. The Celtics rolled into Milwaukee Tuesday night without Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford. Robert Williams III was limited to 13 minutes due to a nagging ankle problem. They nearly made a fuss anyway, but eventually fell to the Bucks in overtime 131-125.
We subsequently learned that White stayed behind to see an audiologist because he was having trouble hearing in his left ear. Early in the second quarter, White tried to sneak between Grayson Allen and Jevon Carter to get to the basket, but he lost control of the ball after Allen grabbed his arm. There was no foul in the play and White recovered to force a jump ball, but he shot to the side of the head in the process. The contact didn’t seem too strong, but White immediately grabbed his ear and seemed uncomfortable. However, he stayed in the game and within minutes scored a season-high.
The initial expectation was that this would see White miss Wednesday’s game, but it looks like he’s ready to go. It’s a great sign for the Celtics, who didn’t have another key player to add to the injury report and had already suffered an unusual head injury this month.
During the team’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on February 8, Jayson Tatum accidentally elbowed Jaylen Brown in the face while both were looking for a rebound. Brown suffered a fractured face and has not played since. While he doesn’t need surgery, his exact timeline for returning to the game is still unclear and he won’t get back into action until after the All-Star break.
After their game against the Pistons on Wednesday, the Celtics have a full eight days off before they play the Indiana Pacers again on February 23. At this point, they could be approaching full strength, which would be exactly the push they need for the stretch run as they attempt to hold on to the #1 overall seed.