Tillman ended with one assist in five minutes during Tuesday's 113-99 win over the Nets.
Tillman was back in the rotation, albeit in a very limited role. Although the frontcourt depth in Boston is far from glamorous, Tillman has been unable to carve out a consistent spot in the lineup. Through eight appearances, he has averaged just 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Off injury report for Sunday
Rotowire
Tillman (personal) is off the Celtics' injury report for Sunday's game against the Magic.
Tillman missed Friday's loss to the Magic due to personal reasons, though he'll return to action Sunday. Over seven regular-season appearances thus far, the 26-year-old has averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per contest.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Out for personal reasons
Rotowire
Tillman (personal) is out for Friday's game at the Magic, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Tillman has appeared in seven of Boston's nine games to open the season for an average of 8.7 minutes per contest, so his absence won't carry many fantasy implications.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Muted role continues
Rotowire
Tillman provided zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in six minutes during Monday's 105-103 loss to Utah.
Tillman played fewer than 10 minutes for the fifth time in the past six games, continuing his slow start to the season. At this stage, it appears as though both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are ahead of him in the rotation, while Chris Boucher is also spending some time at the five. Barring injuries to multiple players, Tillman is likely to serve as nothing more than a depth piece, at least for the foreseeable future.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Plays 16 minutes in opener
Rotowire
Tillman closed Wednesday's 117-116 loss to the 76ers with four points (2-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 16 minutes.
Tillman's 16 minutes of run could be used as Exhibit A to demonstrate the talent difference between last year's top-notch Celtics squad and this year's team. Tillman averaged only seven minutes per contest last season, though he was battling knee issues. Neemias Queta started at center for Boston, but was quickly pulled by Coach Mazzulla after Queta allowed Philly to grab an offensive rebound. Tillman then provided some much-needed rebounding, but struggled offensively. Expect Boston to experiment with different frontcourt lineups throughout the season.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Fully healthy of preseason
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) enters training camp fully healthy and ready to play.
Tillman dealt with left knee issues throughout the 2024-25 campaign, resulting in playing in only 33 regular-season games. If he's able to stay healthy this season, there's a chance he could be in line for more minutes off the bench, sharing time with Sam Hauser, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza and Neemias Queta in the frontcourt.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Plays eight minutes in loss
Rotowire
Tillman closed Friday's 119-81 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with two points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and three rebounds in eight minutes.
Tillman made his first appearance of the postseason Friday with the Celtics getting run out of the building. Playing in his second season with Boston, Tillman was used very sparingly, as he appeared in 33 regular-season contests and averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.0 minutes. Tillman is owed $2.5 million in 2025-26 for the final year of his deal.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Back to bench role
Rotowire
Tillman will come off the bench during Wednesday's game against the Heat, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
After getting the starting nod for Monday's win against the Grizzlies, Tillman will return to the second unit for Wednesday's matchup against Miami. The 25-year-old big man hasn't made much of a fantasy impact this season while playing for the Celtics, averaging 7.2 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Falls flat in start
Rotowire
Tillman scored two points (0-5 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and added three rebounds and one steal across eight minutes in Monday's 117-103 loss to the Grizzlies.
Tillman has largely been outside of the Boston rotation this season, but he got the chance to make a rare start Monday due to Jaylen Brown (knee) sitting out. He was limited to two brief shifts at the beginning of both halves and didn't make much of an impact during his time on the court while missing all five of his field-goal attempts. Tillman is likely to drop back out of the rotation if Brown returns for Wednesday's game against the Heat.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Starting Monday in Memphis
Rotowire
Tillman will start at power forward in Monday's game against the Grizzlies, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.
Tillman hasn't appeared in a game since March 6, with four of his absences being the result of a left knee joint sprain. He was cleared to return to action for Saturday's 121-111 win over the Spurs, but he went unused off the bench in a coach's decision. Though he's been outside of the rotation for much of the season, Tillman will get a chance to make his second start of the season as he returns to Memphis, where he spent the first four and a half years of his career before being traded to Boston last February. Jaylen Brown (knee) will sit out Monday, but if he's back for the Celtics' next game Wednesday versus the Heat, Tillman will likely head back to the bench and see his minutes disappear.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Set to return Saturday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) has been cleared to play in Saturday's game against the Spurs, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Tillman has missed the last 10 games for the Celtics due to a knee issue, but he will return to the floor Saturday in San Antonio. However, he 25-year-old big man likely won't make much of an impact from a fantasy perspective, as he averages 7.1 minutes per game off the bench for Boston this season.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Questionable for Saturday
Rotowire
Tillman is questionable for Saturday's game against the Spurs with a left knee joint sprain, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Although Tillman has missed four straight games, he'll at least have a chance to return Saturday. With Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet all healthy in Boston's frontcourt, however, Tillman wouldn't be a lock to see the floor even if he's available against San Antonio.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Another absence coming
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Suns.
Tillman's absence streak will extend to four games Wednesday due to a left knee joint sprain. Tillman's next chance to suit up is Saturday's matchup with San Antonio.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Still out Monday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Kings, Jay King of The Athletic reports.
Tillman will miss his third straight game due to a left knee joint sprain, though he hadn't appeared in any of the Celtics' six contests in coach's decisions prior to suffering the injury. If Tillman is cleared to return in the Celtics' next game Wednesday in Phoenix, he's unlikely to be included in the rotation.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Remains out Sunday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) is out for Sunday's game against the Trail Blazers, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Tillman will miss an eighth consecutive game with a left knee sprain, and the big man doesn't have a timetable for his return. However, Tillman doesn't see regular minutes when the Celtics' frontcourt is at full strength, so his absence shouldn't affect many fantasy decisions.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Ruled out for Friday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Jazz, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Tillman will miss a seventh straight game for Boston while dealing with a knee issue. The next opportunity for the 25-year-old big man to get back on the floor for the defending NBA champions will be Sunday against the Trail Blazers.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Assigned and recalled Saturday
Rotowire
The Celtics assigned Tillman to the G League's Maine Celtics before he was later recalled to the NBA on Saturday.
Tillman likely joined the G League Celtics for Saturday's practice ahead of their game against the Grand Rapids Gold on Tuesday. The 26-year-old appeared in only two outings for the parent club during February, averaging 5.5 minutes per contest.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Gets garbage-time run in blowout
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) recorded zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal across five minutes in Wednesday's 117-97 loss to the Pistons.
Tillman missed three straight games due to knee inflammation before being cleared to play Tuesday, but he didn't see the floor in the Celtics' 10-point win over the Raptors. He remained out of the rotation for the second leg of the back-to-back set, as Tillman didn't check into the game until the Pistons already had the victory well in hand. After re-signing with Boston on a two-year deal over the summer, Tillman has endured the worst season of his five-year career; he's averaging just 7.1 minutes per game over his 28 appearances and is shooting just 23.8 percent from the field.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Good to go Tuesday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) is available for Tuesday's game against Toronto.
Tillman is available to return from a three-game absence Tuesday due to left knee inflammation. The big man has received little playing time of late, though he could see a bump in minutes with Al Horford (toe) and Luke Kornet (personal) sidelined.
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Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Probable for Tuesday
Rotowire
Tillman (knee) is probable for Tuesday's game against the Raptors, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Following a three-game absence with left knee inflammation, Tillman is expected to return to action Tuesday. Luke Kornet (personal) has already been ruled out against Toronto, so Tillman could be in line to share the backup center minutes with the probable Neemias Queta (illness) if Al Horford (toe) sits out.
