Is Jayson Tatum Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Hornets vs. Celtics)

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been progressing in his recovery from a torn Achilles that he suffered in last season's playoffs, but he's not ready to make his return to the court just yet.

Tatum has been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, as he continues to ramp up for a potential return this season. The All-NBA forward recently progressed to play 5-on-5 scrimmages in practice, a step in the right direction for him to play this season.

The Celtics have not revealed how close Tatum is to actually taking the floor, but their next game is at home on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. There was speculation that Tatum would return on Sunday, March 1 for a nationally televised game against Philadelphia, but he ultimately was ruled out for that matchup.

Boston has fared well without Tatum going 41-20 this season while posting the No. 2 offensive rating in the NBA. The C's are currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just 4.5 games back of the No. 1-seedd Detroit Pistons.

On Wednesday, Boston is set as a 6.5-point favorite at home in the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. Charlotte is coming off a blowout win over the Mavericks on Tuesday night, and it's looking to improve upon a 10-2 against the spread record on the second night of a back-to-back this season.

With Tatum out, Boston will rely heavily on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to carry the offense on Wednesday. Even with Brown out on Monday, Boston blew out the Milwaukee Bucks in Giannis Antetokounmpo's return to the lineup.

After Wednesday's game, Boston will have 20 games left in the 2025-26 regular season, giving Tatum ample time to return and get ready for the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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