Boston Celtics center Nikola Vučević sustained a fractured right ring finger early in Friday’s 120-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks. He left the game and the team quickly announced that he would not return.
The veteran center underwent surgery Saturday to repair the fracture and will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, according to the Celtics. That timetable would allow Vučević to return for the playoffs.
Vučević suffered the injury after entering Friday’s game midway through the first quarter. The fracture appeared to occur when Dallas’ Moussa Cisse grabbed at Vučević’s hand on a pass into the post. Vučević played two minutes before going to the locker room. Luka Garza replaced him in the Celtics’ lineup with 4:21 remaining in the opening frame.
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The Celtics and their fans were excited about the return of star Jayson Tatum after he was sidelined all season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Tatum scored 15 points with 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Prior to tip-off, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said “Our team is whole now,” a sentiment with an unfortunately short shelf life.
Vučević, 35, was acquired from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA trade deadline in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. (Boston also received a second-rounder in the deal.) The 6-foot-9 center provided Boston with a frontcourt presence that it lacked for most of the season.
Prior to joining the Celtics, Vučević averaged 16.9 points and 9 rebounds in 48 games for the Bulls, shooting 38% on 3-point tries. In 11 games with Boston, he was averaging 11.4 points and 7.8 boards, and hitting 35% of his 3s.
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Vučević can be a free agent after this season. He is a 15-year NBA veteran, playing one season for the Philadelphia 76ers and nine for the Orlando Magic before he was traded to the Bulls during the 2020-21 campaign. For his career, he’s averaged 17.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 35% on 3-pointers.
The win improved the Celtics to 42-21, nudging them to within four games of the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Up next for Boston is a nationally televised matchup at the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24) on Sunday afternoon.