BOSTON — The Celtics will be without Sam Hauser in Saturday night’s matchup against the San Antonio. Hauser was a late addition to the injury report, listed as out with right hamstring tightness.
In addition to Hauser, Josh Minott is out with a right ankle sprain that’s held him out of the last three games, while Jayson Tatum remains out as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles.
Hauser has started four straight games for the Celtics, and scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.
This season, he’s averaging 7.8 points on 38.6% from three. Hauser has tallied 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists on a career-high 22.2 minutes per game. He’s also been routinely praised by Joe Mazzulla for his impact on the defensive end.
“Everyone always sees the shooting that Sam does, but he’s one of the better defenders that we have,” Joe Mazzulla said on Friday.
On Friday, after Hauser guarded RJ Barrett, Mazzulla praised his work on that end: “His defense is top-notch.”
Instead of Hauser, it appears likely that Joe Mazzulla will once again insert Jordan Walsh in the starting lineup; Walsh started 20 straight games for the Celtics before being moved to the bench.
Hugo Gonzalez also started a game for the Celtics earlier this season, and could be a potential option to replace Hauser in the lineup. Baylor Scheierman is another option, though he has yet to start a game this season.
For the Spurs, Devin Vassell is out, while Justin Champagnie remains questionable with back soreness.
