Celtics and Spurs Battle in Clash of Conference Leaders

Jayson Tatum's return adds intrigue to matchup between top-2 seeds

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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The Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, the second-place teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively, face off in a highly anticipated NBA showdown on Tuesday night. The return of Celtics star Jayson Tatum from injury adds extra drama to the contest between these two title contenders.

Why it matters

This game features a clash between two of the NBA's elite teams, with the Celtics and Spurs both firmly in the mix for a deep playoff run. The integration of Tatum back into the Celtics' lineup will be a key storyline to follow, as the team looks to get their star forward up to speed after a lengthy injury absence.

The details

The Celtics enter the game at 43-21 on the season, led by All-Star Jaylen Brown's 28.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Tatum is working his way back into form after missing significant time with a torn Achilles, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 boards in his first two games back. The Spurs, meanwhile, are 47-17 and paced by superstar Victor Wembanyama's league-leading 3.0 blocks per contest, along with his 23.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. Both teams are among the NBA's elite on both ends of the floor.

  • The Celtics and Spurs last met in January.

The players

Jayson Tatum

The Celtics' star forward is working his way back into form after missing significant time with a torn Achilles.

Jaylen Brown

Boston's All-Star guard is the team's leading scorer, averaging 28.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Victor Wembanyama

The Spurs' superstar center leads the NBA in blocks per game and is a dominant two-way force.

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What they’re saying

“This is a measuring-stick contest given the talent level these rosters deploy.”

— Keagan Smith, Author (draftkings.com)

“Whether Jaylen Brown keeps working as the primary scorer or is supplanted as the team looks to get Tatum going could prove interesting as well.”

— Keagan Smith, Author (draftkings.com)

The takeaway

This matchup between the Celtics and Spurs features two of the NBA's top teams and will provide an intriguing test for Boston as they work to integrate Jayson Tatum back into the lineup. The defensive battle between these two elite squads should make for a close and hard-fought contest.