The Celtics could be missing two key bench players when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
Already without second-string center Nikola Vucevic, who is recovering from the fractured finger he suffered last week, Boston also listed sixth man Payton Pritchard as questionable for Tuesday’s game with a neck spasm.
Pritchard has been a hit-or-miss scorer of late, notching single-digit point totals in four of his last eight games, including goose eggs against Philadelphia and Charlotte. He’s coming off back-to-back 18-point outings, however, and scored nine fourth-quarter points Sunday to help the Celtics hold off a late rally in their 109-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 28-year-old guard started the first 48 games he played this season before shifting back to the bench when the Celtics traded third guard Anfernee Simons to acquire Vucevic. Since that move, last season’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 assists in 32.3 minutes per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point range.
Pritchard dealt with a finger injury earlier this season, but he’s missed just one of Boston’s 64 games, sitting out a Jan. 17 win over Atlanta with ankle soreness.
Vucevic underwent surgery over the weekend to repair his fractured ring finger and is not expected to miss at least three weeks. Jayson Tatum has not appeared on the Celtics’ injury report since returning from Achilles surgery last Friday.
Boston is in the midst of the most challenging stretch of its remaining schedule — a three-game road trip that began Sunday in Cleveland and concludes Thursday in Oklahoma City. The 47-17 Spurs and 50-15 Thunder rank second and first, respectively, in the NBA’s overall standings, and third and first in net rating. The 43-21 Celtics own the league’s fourth-best record and second-best net rating, and they have won 14 of their last 17 games.
