Nikola Vucevic gets early return timeline for broken finger

Nikola Vucevic has an early injury timeout on his ability to return to the court after suffering a hand injury in the Boston Celtics’ clash with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Vucevic suffered an injury during the first half of the competition, forcing him to the locker room. Boston later ruled him out for the remainder of the game, saying he suffered a fractured ring finger.

ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania provided an update on Vucevic’s injury. He explained that there would be a procedure to treat the fracture at the veteran’s center and a month’s time would be lost as a result.

“Boston’s Nikola Vucevic will undergo a procedure on Saturday for his broken ring finger and will miss approximately a month,” Charania wrote.

How the Celtics played against the Mavericks despite Nikola Vucevic’s injury

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dribbles a pick from center Neemias Kweta (88) during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.
Winslow Townson-Imagen Images

Despite Nikola Vucevic playing only two minutes, the Celtics stepped up in a big way to defeat the Mavericks 120–100.

It took a while for things to settle down as shooting began in Boston. Despite this, they gained momentum as Jayson Tatum scored his first point since returning from his Achilles injury. As they played well in their season debut, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White assisted them with strong performances to lead Boston to victory.

Six players, including Tatum, scored in double figures for Boston in the win. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and one steal. He made 6 of 16 shots from the field, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points and seven rebounds, Derrick White had 20 points and four assists, while Payton Pritchard provided 18 points and seven rebounds.

Boston improved to a 42–21 record on the season and finished second in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers while trailing the Detroit Pistons.

The Celtics will look forward to their next matchup while on the road. They will take on the Cavaliers as tip-off takes place on March 8 at 1pm ET.


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Nikola Vucevic ruled out of match vs. Mavericks due to injury

The Boston Celtics had high expectations for Jayson Tatum’s return to the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. But just as the team moved on from their superstar, they lost their valuable NBA trade deadline acquisition.

Nikola Vucevic came off the Celtics bench Friday night and played just two minutes without recording a single stat before getting injured. Late in the first quarter, Vucevic was attempting to post up Mavs center Moussa Cisse when he suddenly grabbed his right arm as he received the ball.

Vucevic then continued to catch the same hand multiple times and appeared to be in pain on the next few possessions, causing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout.

Celtics reporter Bobby Manning was able to pinpoint the exact spot where Vucevic was hurt.

https://x.com/RealBobManning/status/2030084774170177771

The Celtics announced early in the second quarter that Vucevic would be out for the remainder of the game with a fractured right ring finger.

Nikola Vucevic was acquired by the Boston Celtics from the Chicago Bulls at the 2026 NBA trade deadline. In the deal, the Celtics traded guard Anfernee Simmons and a 2026 second-round pick to the Bulls for Vucevic and a 2027 second-round pick.

In 11 games so far with the Celtics, Vucevic has averaged 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three.


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