Friday night at TD Garden, the team with the most talented top six in the NBA this season held each of them out of their 131-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics will again be without that group.
Jayson Tatum is listed on the C’s injury report as inactive for their regular-season finale vs. the Washington Wizards due to rest. So are Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.
Jrue Holiday is out because of left patella tendinopathy. An ankle sprain will sideline Derrick White.
The last time the Celtics played the Wizards, Sam Hauser almost made NBA history. The six-foot-eight sharpshooter erupted for a career-high 30 points, knocking down 10/13 threes, also establishing a new personal best in that category.
The third-year forward was on his way to breaking Marcus Smart’s franchise record of 11 makes from beyond the arc and was closing in on Klay Thompson’s NBA-best 14 triples in one game before a left ankle sprain abruptly ended his night.
With Boston’s top six inactive, there will at least be enough shots available for Hauser to duplicate or even exceed his production in that 130-104 win on St. Patrick’s Day.
Payton Pritchard, coming off scoring a personal-best 31 points on Friday against the Hornets, will also have the spotlight in Sunday’s regular-season finale at TD Garden.
