With Neemias Queta of the Boston Celtics sidelined, Xavier Tillman stepped into the starting lineup and made the most of the opportunity, finishing with nine points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block in what was his first start of the season, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.
It was an uncommon sight this year, as Tillman had appeared in just one brief five-minute stretch over the previous 11 games.
Coach Joe Mazzulla praised Tillman’s professionalism and reliability, saying, “X is the ultimate professional. Whether he plays every game or he misses 10 games, I have a level of trust that he’s going to go out there and he’s going to execute and he’s going to do exactly what we want. That’s really hard to do in this league. You can’t take a guy like that for granted. He works. He’s always ready.”
ICYMI: After a subpar performance in Saturday’s loss at Minnesota, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard bounced back with a season-high 42 points in Sunday’s victory at Cleveland. That + more on the Celtics. https://t.co/RsVukuJjUk
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) December 2, 2025
