The Boston Celtics may have a much different look when they face the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Jayson Tatum was upgraded to questionable on Boston’s injury report on Thursday, fueling speculation that he may play in an NBA game for the first time since he tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Tatum has been practicing since Feb. 9 and reportedly has been “full-go” in 5-on-5 scrimmages since the All-Star break.
“He looks good,” teammate Derrick White said when he was asked about Tatum following Boston’s 118-89 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. “Playing. Moving. It’s been good to see him back and getting up and down, so you kind of see all the work he’s put in to get to this point, and it’s been great to see him be able to do what he loves to do.”
Tatum, 28, is a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection and a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner for Team USA. Through 585 career NBA games, Tatum is averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest.
Despite not having Tatum all season, the Celtics enter the Friday game holding second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Dallas got a key player back on Thursday when rookie forward Cooper Flagg returned to the court after missing eight games with a sprained left foot. Flagg had 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and four blocked shots in just under 26 minutes of playing time during the Mavericks’ 115-114 loss at Orlando.
After Flagg missed a jump shot that would have extended Dallas’ lead to three points, the Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. dunked with 1.4 seconds left to cap the scoring.
“I thought for Coop, being out for over three weeks, I thought he looked good on both ends,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He made plays down the stretch. Had some big blocks during the game. I think he’s trying to find his legs. I thought he got his legs in the second half.
“Had a good look down the stretch, just didn’t go down for him. But the group played (hard) on the road (and) was in a position to win.”
The Mavericks took their fifth straight loss and fell for the 15th time in the past 17 games. Dallas played without Brandon Williams, who has a left quad contusion.
Boston saw its three-game winning streak end on Wednesday with the loss to Charlotte. Jaylen Brown finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists but shot just 7 of 19 from the field. White led the team with 29 points.
“We weren’t the harder-playing team on either side of the ball,” Brown said. “Uncharacteristic of us. Didn’t get off to a great start.
“I didn’t feel my best. My energy wasn’t good enough to motivate my teammates and we came up short, so we got to watch the film and come out and be better. But I take accountability. I got to be better at the rim and play with more energy.”
The Friday game will be the second meeting between the Celtics and Mavericks this season. Brown had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead Boston to a 110-100 victory at Dallas on Feb. 2. Flagg scored 36 points in that contest.
