Jayson Tatum won’t play in Celtics’ penultimate regular season matchup

Jaylen Brown was listed questionable as he manages his left Achilles tendinitis, but he will be available.

The Celtics will host the Pelicans in their second-to-last home game Friday before the NBA playoffs begin next week. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

By Kaley Brown

updated on April 10, 2026 | 5:55 PM

2 minutes to read

The 2025-26 NBA playoff picture isn’t set in stone yet, but it seems likely that the Celtics (54-26) will possess the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Boston has two more regular season games to play, beginning with hosting the New Orleans Pelicans (26-54) Friday night.

A victory against the struggling Pelicans (or a New York Knicks loss vs. the Toronto Raptors) would solidify the two seed for the Celtics.

Until then, Boston has injuries to its entire starting five to deal with.

The Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum (right Achilles repair management), who was ruled out by the team ahead of tipoff. Friday will mark just his third injury management absence since returning to the court on March 6. The last contest Tatum was sidelined for was March 30 against the Atlanta Hawks.

Tatum has played in 16 games since making his season debut, and has played at least 30 minutes in his last 13. He played his most minutes of the season Thursday (39).

Tatum struggled in Thursday’s 112-106 loss to the Knicks, shooting 7-for-22 from the field. Nevertheless, he began to look like himself in the second half, finishing two assists shy of his second triple-double this month.

Friday, the second night of a back-to-back, seems like a good matchup to rest Tatum in ahead of the NBA playoffs; the first round begins on April 18.

Tatum was the only player to be listed out on the injury report, but Jaylen Brown was labeled as questionable as he continues to manage his left Achilles tendinitis. However, head coach Joe Mazzulla said pregame that Brown will be available.

Brown did not play Thursday, his first inactive status since missing back-to-back games on March 27 and 29 when his Achilles injury first popped up.

In the five games Brown has played in since his ailment became public, his elite level of play hasn’t wavered. He’s averaging 31.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals.

Brown was recently asked if he thinks he deserves to win the league’s MVP award after his standout season in which he helped the Celtics remain one of the NBA’s best teams amid Tatum’s absence. He doesn’t think so.

“Analytically, probably not — honestly,” Brown said. “But I put my blood, sweat and tears into this season — on the court from a performance standpoint, what my team needs me to do on both ends of the court, and then also from a leadership standpoint.

“Galvanizing guys, getting everybody on the same page in the midst of uncertainty to help keep us in contention at the top of the league. The analytics don’t quantify who I am and [what] my spirit is.”

Rounding out the rest of Boston’s injury report, three other starters were listed as probable: Sam Hauser (low back spasm), Neemias Queta (right toe sprain), and Derrick White (right knee contusion). Mazzulla said all three will be available.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time at TD Garden Friday.