The Celtics could be shorthanded as they face the Wizards at 6 p.m. Sunday at TD Garden. Both All-Stars are listed on the injury report in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as they’re questionable for Sunday’s game.
Brown continues to battle his right knee posterior impingement issue that has limited him while on the court. Tatum is listed with his left ankle sprain that he suffered last week on the Celtics’ six-game road trip.
Tatum missed one game due to the ankle sprain, but otherwise, he’s played through it. So at this point, it’s not much of a concern as the Celtics can get their star player a night off against the last-place Wizards.
Brown’s knee issue is the one Celtics fans will keep an eye on ahead of the playoffs. He’s dealt with the bone bruise for weeks now, though he has played through the injury. It’s clear Brown isn’t at 100% when he is on the court as he said it’s been a mental challenge as much as a physical one.
“Obviously, I haven’t felt my best over the last couple of days, the last couple of weeks, but you kind of just got to roll with the punches, I guess,” Brown said. “It is what it is. It sucks. I wish I could share more details, but whatever my team needs, whatever I can do, whatever I got, I’m gonna give. So I’m looking forward to just taking it one day at a time, and I’m hopeful that some things will improve over the course of this next two weeks or so.”
The Celtics are virtually locked into second place in the East, so they’ll likely rest their guys for the rest of the season. They also face the Wizards, who are enduring a rough season at 17-60 and 15th in the East. Marcus Smart isn’t listed on the injury report, so he should be good to play in his old home.
