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Celtics dealt tough injury blow in Jayson Tatum's season debut

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Mar 7, 2026 9:14 AM ET

The Boston Celtics got one All-Star back on Friday but lost another for an extended period.

Tatum made his triumphant return Friday and looked fantastic in a 120-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. After shaking off a botched dunk, Tatum looked like his old self for most of the second half and finished the game without any issues.

The same could not be said for Nikola Vucevic. The Montenegrin big man got hurt while fighting for post position and left the game after playing less than two minutes in the first quarter. He was seen grabbing at his hand and immediately asked to be subbed out of the game.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Vucevic’s injury status shortly after, indicating that the Celtics center had fractured his ring finger. Vucevic is set to undergo surgery on Saturday, which would reportedly sideline him for approximately a month.

Looks like this was where Nikola Vucevic fractured his right ring finger pic.twitter.com/WJAk1MpQU0
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) March 7, 2026

Boston's Nikola Vucevic is expected to undergo a procedure on Saturday for his fractured ring finger and miss approximately one month, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/AtHQEzstmI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2026

The Celtics acquired Vucevic at the trade deadline from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons. Many felt the move indicated Boston was indeed anticipating Tatum playing this season, considering Tatum would eat into Simons’ minutes upon a return.

After serving as a starter for nearly his entire career, Vucevic has primarily come off the bench for the Celtics thus far. He entered Friday’s game averaging 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across 11 games.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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