Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart are making progress with their respective injuries, both suffered during Sunday’s eventual loss to the Orlando Magic. At shootaround on Tuesday in Washington, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens provided updates. #NEBHInjuryReport Brad Stevens says Marcus Smart (left oblique contusion) felt better yesterday. Jayson Tatum (left shin contusion) had an MRI that came back “completely clean.” — Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 9, 2019 Both starters’ health is critical for Boston headed into the postseason, which tips off this weekend. NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg had more detail from Stevens: Brad Stevens to reporters in DC: “[Jayson] Tatum actually did have an MRI that was completely clear. So we’re assuming that he should be fine sooner rather than later but, again, we wait to see how he reacts to the court [today]." — Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) April 9, 2019 Brad on Smart timeline: "It really depends on how he feels. I’ve heard anything from he could be good to go by practice later in the week to, if he’s got pain there … that it could be a little bit longer … But it doesn't sound like it’s a long-term issue." — Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) April 9, 2019 Tatum and Smart are just two of the numerous Celtics expected to sit tonight against the Washington Wizards. As a result, Guerschon Yabusele fans everywhere will scooch to the edges of their couches and barstools in anticipation. The Boston Celtics announced that Jaylen Brown, Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele have all been upgraded to available for tonight's game at Washington. Baynes, Hayward, Horford, Irving, Morris, Smart and Tatum all remain out. — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) April 9, 2019<doc-sep>The NBA playoffs are set to begin in a week, but the timing could hardly be worse for Boston Celtics. In the team’s final home game of the regular season on Sunday, forward Jayson Tatum and guard Marcus Smart exited the 116-108 loss to the Orlando Magic early with injuries. Although there’s no timetable yet for the injuries, neither is expected to keep the players out for the rest of the season. Still, both are crucial to the Celtics’ playoff chances, and the team hopes each player can avoid aggravating the injuries any further. Tatum leaves with left shin contusion Tatum only played six minutes and missed both of his shots before he exited Sunday’s game. The team quickly announced that he would not return to the game. The 21-year-old had actually been dealing with shin contusion from before the contest, although head coach Brad Stevens apparently was not aware of that fact. Tatum said that his leg felt funny when he jumped, so he did not return. Tatum is the Celtics’ second leading scorer at 15.9 points per game, so his absence would be acutely missed. Boston dropped both games he previously missed — to the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings — by at least 19 points, although they do have plenty of depth on the wings with Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown off the bench. Smart avoids worse diagnosis with oblique bruise Smart lasted a bit longer than Tatum, as he left the game with 6:15 left in the third quarter. Stevens described his injury as an oblique "bruise" rather than a muscle strain, so he may have avoided a longer-term injury. Smart is not the scoring threat that Tatum is, but he’s an invaluable defender who has started most of the season. Boston dropped its only game without him by seven to the Brooklyn Nets. If Smart has to miss extended time, Hayward or Brown would likely replace him in the starting lineup with backup point guard Terry Rozier also seeing an uptick in minutes. Fortunately, Smart was seen walking around the locker room after the game, so he may not be out for long. Story continues Celtics guard Marcus Smart went down with what was described as an oblique bruise. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) How does this affect the Celtics’ playoff hopes? Since the Celtics are locked into the No. 4 seed, it’s very likely that Stevens will opt to rest Tatum and Smart in Tuesday’s regular season finale against the Washington Wizards. Even if they both get a clean bill of health, it’s not worth risking injuries in an ostensively meaningless games. As previously illustrated, the duo will be crucial to the team’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, so the team will be waiting to hear back about testing results with bated breath. Tatum was particularly critical in Friday's 117-97 win over the Pacers, since he led the team with 22 points. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston will see how Smart's body responds in the next 24-48 hours, although there’s no timetable on how long Tatum may need to fully heal. 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The Celtics’ game against the Magic on Sunday – a comfortable 116-108 Orlando win – was yet another low moment in a Celtics season that has had too many of them. More worrying for the Celtics, however, was that both Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum exited the game with injuries. And while both injuries look minor (though there is some question with Smart’s), they really couldn’t come at a worse time for the Celtics looking to come together and right the ship ahead of the NBA Playoffs. Tatum exited the game with what is being described as a left shin contusion, a bruise that undoubtedly hurts but should hopefully not linger as the playoffs begin. Celtics coach Stevens said the injury had been a lingering one, and one that Tatum thought he could play through on Sunday … only to decide once the game began that it wasn’t quite right. Smart, on the other hand, left the game with what coach Brad Stevens called a “bruise” but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski heard from a source with the team was actually an oblique strain. Smart suffered a collision during the game and limped off, grabbing his side. He tried to play through it after that but then left the game and didn’t return. The Celtics haven’t lived up to expectations this year, and with a first-round matchup set with the Indiana Pacers, will need everyone to come together if they can hope to make even somewhat of a deep playoff run in a suddenly feisty Eastern Conference.