The Celtics will be without Jordan Walsh tonight when they host the Indiana Pacers in their last home game at TD Garden of 2025.
Walsh has become a starter over the last 16 games and is set to miss his first tilt this season with a non-COVID related illness after being officially downgraded from questionable to out earlier in the day -- according to team reports.
The emerging wing sat out the second half of the Celtics 112-96 win over the Raptors Saturday night due to not felling well, despite playing 13 minutes and taking one field goal attempt, to go along with four rebounds and a block.
Mazzulla said Jordan Walsh was feeling ill before the game and gave the club what he had. His benching was no disciplinary or because of performance. #Celtics #Raptors
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) December 21, 2025
With Walsh, who's averaging 7.3 points on 58.4% shooting and 5.0 rebounds per contest out, the Celtics get to welcome back Jaylen Brown after his one-game absence from an illness that forced him to miss Saturday's win in Toronto.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will likely give more minutes to Luka Garza, Josh Minott and rookie Hugo Gonzalez once again after they combined for 27 points and 24 rebounds against the Raptors -- with Garza (nine of his 10 rebounds coming on the offensive end) and Gonzalez (grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds overall) each recording a double-double off the bench, as they were a +22 and +37 respectively.
"I got a lot of respect for Luka. I think he changed the game for us. It's really a credit to the player development staff, to Luka, for just staying ready," Mazzulla said Saturday in his postgame comments. "He came out and I thought that he changed the game in the stretch that he played with his physicality and his offensive rebounds, and he helped us come out with the more physical team tonight."
The Celtics at 17-11 look to make it a three wins in a row when they tip-off against the Pacers (6-22), who have lost four-straight beginning at 7:30 pm ET.
Joel Pavón
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