The Boston Celtics will be without a critical new addition ahead of their first game (that counts) against the New York Knicks since being ousted during the second round of the playoffs last spring.
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Noa Dalzell of CLNS reports that fresh free agent signing Luka Garza, who’s been functioning as Neemias Queta’s chief backup center, will miss Friday night’s action — although he’s traveling with the club to Madison Square Garden.
Per the league’s latest injury report, the 6-foot-10 big man remains in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum will be out for most of the year (at least) recovering from a surgery to repair the Achilles tendon he ruptured late in Game 4 of Boston’s semifinal series against New York. Now, the Celtics are returning to the scene of the crime.
Luke Garza is out tonight, but he did make the trip to New York and is with the team at shootaround
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 24, 2025
Garza was putting up shots at Boston’s team shootaround this morning. The Knicks, meanwhile, could be missing up to four of their top six players, as the league injury report details.
Oft-hurt center Mitchell Robinson is already hurt, while guard Josh Hart and five-time All-Star power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns are both questionable. All-Defensive Team forward OG Anunoby is considered probable to suit up.
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Garza played just six minutes before going down in Boston’s opening night 117-116 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Garza went scoreless, but did manage to record a block and a rebound. He and fellow former Minnesota Timberwolves deep-bench pro Josh Minott both inked one-year, veteran’s minimum deals to join the Celtics this summer.
Queta, meanwhile, scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe and grabbed eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
6-foot-8 power forward/center Chris Boucher, another minimum signing this summer, backed up new starting power forward Sam Hauser as well as Queta. Xavier Tillman also earned more minutes at center.
The longer Garza sits, the more players like Tillman and Boucher could eat up his minutes and his place in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s new-look center rotation.
Boston’s matchup against New York is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Madison Square Garden, and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime.
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