The Spurs have a tough one on their hands.
The Spurs and Celtics play each other two times a year, and it's time for two of the most respected organizations in sports to clash. Boston is on a four-game winning streak against the Silver and Black, so SAS will be looking to change that tonight. Tonight's Eastern Conference foes are the reigning NBA Champions, so their work will be cut out for them.
You'd like them to have a full cast available for the task, but Charles Bassey is still sidelined. They added Bismack Biyombo on a 10-day contract, though, so they'll still have a backup center to turn to when Victor Wembanyama sits. Boston, however, does not have a replacement for Jaylen Brown, and his status is in question tonight.
Celtics injury report
Jaylen Brown - Questionable (Knee)
Torrey Craig - Questionable (Ankle)
Jrue Holiday - Out (Shoulder)
Spurs injury report
Charles Bassey - Out (Knee)
The Celtics are SA's final opponent before All-Star Weekend
San Antonio has had a bumpy February, aligning with the rough January they had to start the year. Their hopes of making the postseason are still well within reach. They're only three games behind the number ten seed held by the Golden State Warriors. There are 31 games left in the season, allowing plenty of time to make up the gap, but they'll need to win some tough games to do that.
The last time these teams played was January 17, 2024, and the Celtics smashed the Spurs like the Incredible Hulk did to Loki in the first Avengers movie. That's actually what's been happening every time San Antonio lines up across from Boston in their last three matchups. Every game has been lost by at least 19 points.
Well, surprise, surprise. If you haven't been paying attention, the Celtics are a very good team once again, so the Spurs will have their work cut out for them.
(They just struggled with the Wizards, so they'd have their work cut out for them if they were playing the North Carolina Tar Heels at this point, but I digress.)
In this game, San Antonio has a new weapon to unleash: De'Aaron Fox. The Spurs have struggled to put up points against this ball club. Their last three point totals were 98, 101, and 93, so they weren't exactly lighting it up. Fox should change that. The only question is if he'll change that trend tonight since the guys still haven't had much practice time.
This isn't Washington. The Celtics are an elite team with great chemistry. Having a lack of cohesion on the other end could end up being a large detriment, but they'll need to find a way to pull it out anyway, which means turning up the defensive end. That side of the floor has been a struggle for the Spurs lately, and playing a team like Boson won't help, but they shouldn't need help. Figure it out.
The team needs to kick down whatever mental barrier they have that keeps preventing them from playing the style of defense they were earlier in the year. If they can do that, they'll have a shot to leave tonight's primetime game with a victory.
