at
Boston Celtics (43-21) at San Antonio Spurs (47-17)
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #65 Road Game #34
TV: NBC/Peacock, NBCSB, FDSN
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WOAI/KXTN, Sirius XM
AT&T Center
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Sam Hauser
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesPayton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Injuries/OutNikola Vucevic (finger) out
Payton Pritchard (neck) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Spurs StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: De'Aaron Fox
SG: Stephon Castle
SF: Devin Vassell
PF: Julian Champagnie
C: Victor Wembanyama
Spurs ReservesBismack Biyombo
Carter Bryant
Dylan Harper
Keldon Johnson
Luke Kornet
Jordan McLaughlin
Kelly Olynyk
Mason Plumlee
Lindy Waters III
2-Way Players Harrison Ingram
David Jones Garcia
Emanuel Miller
Injuries/Out Harrison Barnes (ankle) out
David Jones Garcia (ankle) out
Mason Plumlee (reconditioning) questionable
Head Coach Mitch Johnson
Game Notes The Celtics continue their 3 game road trip with a stop in San Antonio to take on the Spurs. They beat the Cavaliers 109-98 on Sunday. They will finish the trip on Thursday in OKC. This is the second, and final game between these two teams this season. The Spurs won the first meeting 100-95 in Boston on January 10. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. They are 47-59 overall all time against the Spurs and they are 22-30 all time in games played in San Antonio.
Unlike many teams, the Spurs stood pat at the trade deadline and did not make any trades. They did, however waive Jeremy Sochan, who was later signed as a free agent by the Knicks. They also signed Mason Plumlee to a 10 day contract After the 10 day contract ran out, Plumlee signed a rest-of-season contract with the Spurs. They also signed Emanuel Miller to a two-way contract.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 2.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 7th place Miami. The Celtics are 15-7 against Western Conference opponents. They are 22-11 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games. (The Knicks are playing as I write this so that may change.)
The Spurs are 2nd in the West, 2.5 games behind first place OKC. They are 7 games ahead of 3rd place Minnesota, 7.5 games ahead of 4th place Houston, 8 games ahead of the 5th place LA Lakers and the 6th place Denver Nuggets, and 10 games ahead of 7th place Phoenix. They are 19-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 24-6 at home and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 4 games.
After this game at San Antonio the Celtics will complete their 3 game road trip at Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it's back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee.
This is the 4th game of a 6 game home stand for the Spurs. They will host Denver and Charlotte before playing at the Clippers and at Sacramento. Then it's back home against Phoenix and Indiana. Next they play on the road at Miami, Memphis and Milwaukee. Then it is one game at home against Chicago before a 3 game road trip through Golden State, the LA Clippers and Denver.
For the Celtics, Nikola Vucevic will remain out after having surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger. Payton Pritchard is questionable due to spasms in his neck. If he is out, it would only be his second missed game of the season. For the Spurs, Harrison Barnes is out with an ankle injury. David Jones Garcia is out with an ankle injury. Mason Plumlee is questionable due to reconditioning.
Key Matchups vs
Neemias Queta vs Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama is averaging 23.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.steals per game. He is shooting 50.5% from the field and 35.3% beyond the arc. In the first game against Boston this year, he finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks while shooting 47.1% from the field and 25.3% from beyond the arc. He is a monster on defense and is a threat to score from anywhere on the court. The Celtics can only hope to slow him down.
vs
Jaylen Brown vs De'Aaron Fox
Fox is averaging 18.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 48.6% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics on January 10, Fox finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal while shooting 56.3% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc. Fox is one of the fastest players in the league and the Celtics need to keep him from getting out on the break.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Stephon Castle
Castle is averaging 16.4points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 46.8% from the field and 30.1% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while shooting 18.8% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a 145-120 win over Houston where he finished with 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 75% on threes. He can be dangerous if not defended well.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense will always be the most important key to winning games. The Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 111.6 while the Spurs are 3rd with a defensive rating of 110.2. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Spurs shoot 37.6 threes per game and they shoot 35.6% as a team. They also need to defend the paint as the Spurs average 51.1 points in the paint per game. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and play tough team defense from start to finish and not let up. This game will be won on the defensive end.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball, and they will struggle if they give up second chance points to the Spurs. The Celtics and Spurs are tied for 3rd with both teams averaging 46.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics are going to have to work extra hard on the boards in this game with Wembanyama ready to snag every rebound. When the Celtics put in extra effort on the boards, that effort tends to spread to other areas of the game as well.
To 3 or Not to 3 - The Celtics are 3rd in the league, attempting 42.4 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren't falling, the Celtics struggle. If the Celtics aren't hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B. The Spurs are a good defensive team and will try to chase the Celtics off the 3 point line and they need to be ready for that.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics play their best when they share the ball. They are 28-2 when they have 25 or more assists in a game and they are 14-0 when they have 29 or more assists. However, the Celtics need to take care of the basketball and limit turnovers. They have to make careful passes and also be aware while dribbling and not drive into a crowd or allow a defender to steal the ball since the Spurs average 17.5 points off turnovers per game.
X-Factors
On the Road - The Celtics are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game road trip after having to travel across country and across time zones. They have to sleep in hotels and play in hostile arenas. The Spurs are a very good home team, losing just 6 games at home this season. The Celtics have to overcome all the distractions of playing on the road and stay focused on playing the game the right way.
Officiating - Officiating is always an X-Factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams need to adjust to the way the game is called. Will they call the game evenly or favor the home team? Will they call it tight or let them play? Hopefully we get fair officiating and they let them play and the Celtics focus on playing and not on the officiating.
Topic: Celtics (43-21) at Spurs (47-17) Game #65 3/10/26 (Read 60 times)