A major career-ending injury to one of the team’s most dedicated players has dealt the Celtics a serious blow.

A major career-ending injury to one of the team’s most dedicated players has dealt the Celtics a serious blow.

The Celtics will be playing at almost full strength on Wednesday night as they take on the Bucks at 7:30 p.m., continuing a difficult stretch of their schedule. Big man Al Horford is the only player with an injury report, and he is out due to a non-COVID illness.

Notably, Kristaps Porzingis is back in the starting lineup following his absence from the Timberwolves game on Wednesday due to a contusion in his right knee. Considering that Thursday’s game is the second of a back-to-back, Horford was never going to play.

The Timberwolves were defeated by the Celtics in overtime, overcoming a nine-point deficit that existed towards the end of regulation. They now play the struggling Bucks, who have lost four of their past five games. Despite the fact that the 29-8 Celtics currently lead the standings by four games, Milwaukee is still second in the East at 25-12.

Additionally, Jrue Holiday will be attending a game in Milwaukee for the first time since his trade just prior to training camp on Thursday. Holiday was supposed to start a new season with the Bucks, but instead, the team made a blockbuster trade to acquire Damian Lillard. After that, the Blazers traded Holiday to the Celtics, who are currently perhaps the best team in the league.

The Celtics prevailed 119-116 in their first meeting between these two teams in Boston. The Bucks mounted a ferocious comeback towards the end of the game to tie the score, but the C’s had the better of the majority of the play. Even though the C’s lead the conference in the standings, every game matters because the Bucks are likely to be their biggest opponent.