The Boston Celtics visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, December 30, at Delta Center in Salt Lake City with Boston holding a 19-12 record and Utah at 12-19. The Celtics come off a 108-114 loss to Portland, while the Jazz ride a two-game winning streak after beating San Antonio 127-114 and Detroit 131-129.
Jayson Tatum remains out for Boston following right Achilles repair. Chris Boucher, Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, and Amari Williams are also sidelined, limiting rotation depth. Jaylen Brown leads the Celtics with 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, while Derrick White adds 18.1 points and 5.1 assists.
Utah also contends with injuries that could affect their competitiveness. Walker Kessler, Kevin Love, Ace Bailey, Georges Niang, Elijah Harkless, John Tonje, and Kyle Filipowski are unavailable or questionable. Lauri Markkanen carries the offense with 27.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Keyonte George, who is questionable due to an illness, averages 24.2 points and 6.8 assists.
The Celtics will rely on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard (16.9 points, 5.2 assists) to compensate for Tatum’s absence. Frontcourt contributors Neemias Queta and Luka Garza provide efficient scoring and rebounding in limited minutes.
For the Jazz, Markkanen and George will need support from Lauri’s fellow big men, including Jusuf Nurkic (9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists) and Kyle Filipowski (9.6 points, 6.4 rebounds). Utah’s depth is tested with multiple starters out, emphasizing the importance of bench production from Brice Sensabaugh, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Isaiah Collier.
This matchup marks the second meeting of the season between the teams, with Utah narrowly winning 105-103 in Boston on November 3.
