NBA Player News

Brown contributed 33 points (12-27 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 6-6 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks across 40 minutes in Saturday's 109-100 loss to the 76ers in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Brown bounced back and provided a well-rounded performance after struggling in Thursday's Game 6 loss, though his 33-point effort was not enough to prevent the Sixers from completing a 3-1 comeback. The star swingman led the Celtics in points and rebounds while tying the game high in blocks, but he didn't deliver his most efficient shooting performance. With Jayson Tatum (knee) missing most of the regular season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles, Brown stepped up and impressed. He earned his fourth straight All-Star nod, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.4 minutes per contest across 71 regular-season games.

Hauser won't start Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the 76ers, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The Celtics will shake up their starting five in this do-or-die matchup, with Neemias Queta and Hauser both heading to the bench. The sharpshooter has scored six or fewer points in four of the last five games, shooting 34.6 percent from deep during that span.

Queta won't start Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against Philadelphia, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Queta combined for 25 rebounds in the last two games of this series. However, with Jayson Tatum (knee) ruled out, head coach Joe Mazzulla is making some adjustments heading into Game 7, with Luka Garza entering the starting lineup. Still, it's reasonable to assume Queta will see more minutes than anyone else at the position despite coming off the bench.

Garza will start Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against Philadelphia, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The 27-year-old center will get the starting nod over Neemias Queta in Saturday's do-or-die matchup. Garza started six games in the regular season, during which he averaged 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 22.7 minutes per showing.

Harper will start Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against Philadelphia, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Jayson Tatum (knee) won't play in this do-or-die matchup, though it's still surprising to see Harper in the starting lineup after he averaged only 4.2 minutes per game in the first six outings of the series. The 26-year-old started three games in the regular season, during which he averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.3 steals across 33.3 minutes a night.

Scheierman will start Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the 76ers, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The Celtics are fighting to keep their season alive with Jayson Tatum (knee) sidelined, and they'll roll with a starting lineup of Derrick White, Ron Harper, Jaylen Brown, Luka Garza and Scheierman. The second-year forward started 20 regular-season games in 2025-26, during which he averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 28.4 minutes per tilt.

Embiid (abdomen) is available for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against Boston, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Embiid has played well since returning in the middle of the series with the Celtics, averaging 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals in 35.7 minutes of work. Embiid's numbers could improve even more once he finds his stroke from downtown, with the 32-year-old making only two of his 16 attempts from behind the three-point line in his three playoff appearances.

George (illness) will play in Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Celtics, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

George was a late addition to the injury report due to an illness, though he'll give it a go in this win-or-go-home matchup. Through six first-round outings, the star forward has averaged 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 36.3 minutes per contest.

Tatum (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's Game 7 against the 76ers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

It's a big blow for the Celtics, who are facing elimination after being up 3-1 in the series. Tatum appeared to sustain the injury during Game 6 on Thursday, and the issue is severe enough for the superstar forward to miss Saturday's contest. As he did for most of the regular season, Jaylen Brown will be the Celtics' top offensive option, and the Celtics will turn to Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman and others to take on larger roles on both ends of the floor without Tatum.

Vanderbilt (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Friday in the Lakers' 98-78 win over the Rockets in Game 6 of the first-round playoff series.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick utilized an eight-man rotation while Friday's contest was still competitive, and Vanderbilt ended up losing hold of his spot on the second unit while Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes operated as the team's main reserves. The Lakers could eventually get Luka Doncic (hamstring) back at some point during their Western Conference Semifinals series versus the Thunder, and Vanderbilt will face an even tougher path to regaining playing time once Los Angeles is at full strength. Before failing to get off the bench Friday, Vanderbilt had appeared in 11 straight games dating back to the regular season and averaged 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 14.3 minutes.