The Boston Celtics came oh-so-close to being at full strength for Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum will play his first game since Christmas after returning from health and safety protocols, and big man Robert Williams is back in the lineup after missing Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic due to a right big toe injury.
Forsberg's Celtics Mailbag: Trade talk, blame pie and what's next
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Point guard Payton Pritchard has entered health and safety protocols, and will join Brodric Thomas as the two Celtics players sidelined Wednesday at TD Garden.
It's an unfortunate development for Pritchard, who was averaging 11.9 points and shooting 40.9% from 3-point range over his last eight contests while seeing increased playing time.
But the Celtics will have the rest of their backcourt intact with Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart both playing, and Wednesday's game will mark just the ninth time that Boston's "core four" of Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tatum and Williams are all active.
Boston Celtics
The C's are also hoping to gain a little momentum, too: They've won two in a row after defeating the Phoenix Suns on Friday and storming back to beat the Magic in overtime on Sunday.
Tip-off for Celtics vs. Spurs is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden.