Saturday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics aim for their fourth straight win. The hosts are coming off a 109-108 victory vs. the Philadelphia 76ers in a Halloween thriller in "The City of Brotherly Love." The win brought Boston to .500 after an 0-3 start to the season. It was also an NBA Cup contest.
Now the Celtics must turn their attention to Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and a Houston Rockets team that's 2-2 but looks the part of one of the most competitive clubs in the Western Conference.
Initially, Boston's starting backcourt, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, were on the injury report for Saturday's matchup. The former is dealing with bilateral neck stiffness. The latter has a left ankle sprain. Both ailments occurred during Friday's victory over the Sixers.
Fortunately, White and Pritchard got the green light and will be in the lineup against Ime Udoka's club. That means that outside of Jayson Tatum, who is working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon, the hosts will have their full complement of players available for the second half of this back-to-back.
As for Houston, the visitors remain without Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL shortly before the 2025-26 campaign got underway. The Rockets are also waiting on Dorian Finney-Smith to make his season debut. The veteran forward joined them this summer, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to sign a four-year, $53 million contract with Houston. Finney-Smith is rehabbing after undergoing left ankle surgery this offseason.
Like the Celtics, the Rockets will have their full roster of players that have been in the lineup this season. That includes Ja'Sean Tate, who has only appeared in one game due to injury. Before Saturday's tilt, Ime Udoka said that Tate is on a minutes restriction. The plan is to limit him to about 15 minutes on Saturday.
Ime Udoka praises Payton Pritchard
Boston's former bench boss shared during his pregame media availability that he was quick to reach out to Jayson Tatum after the latter tore his Achilles tendon. Udoka, who coached Tatum during his first NBA Finals run in 2022, said he can relate to what the six-time All-Star is going through, having torn both of his ACLs.
Udoka also discussed another player he once coached, Payton Pritchard. The two have known each other throughout their lives, due to their Oregon roots. That familiarity didn't persuade the former to play the latter over veterans like Dennis Schroder.
Instead, Pritchard had to fight, including persevering in the mental battle that comes with not being in the rotation. Now, he's the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, an NBA champion, and has found his way into the Celtics' starting lineup.
“Works too hard, very competitive, and obviously taking advantage of the situation that he’s in now," said Udoka, who isn't surprised in the slightest that Pritchard's career has gone in this direction.
Tip-off between the Celtics and Rockets is at 8:00 p.m. EST at TD Garden.