We do not yet know which Celtics will play the Portland Trail Blazers today, but some will. Kristaps Porzingis is “out,” and Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday are all carrying “questionable” tags as they go to Portland.
Compared to what it may have been, the itemized list of starting lineup deductions is far less intimidating. The lone player called out of tonight’s game is Porzingis, and his injury is related to stiffness in his right hamstring. In order to allow Al Horford to sit the second night of back-to-back games, Porzingis has skipped a handful of their first nights. The Celtics’ game against the Utah Jazz tomorrow night may be the result of it. Porzingis earned the night off because he has scored 22 to 25 points in five straight games and is shooting nearly 50% from three during that time.
Since the remaining wounds are minor, Tatum, Brown, White, and Holiday are all dubious. It is possible that they just do not know who will be well enough to participate, but it is more likely that they have not made up their minds about who will have scheduled rest. It is likely that the person who does not play tonight will play tomorrow, and vice versa.
Holiday should be watched closely since, despite having missed some time in the past and being 34 years old, he has a diagnosis of “tendinopathy,” which is another word for tendinitis, which is simply tendon soreness. I believe that this is likely also a rest game for him, but we will see.
If load management irritates you, remember that the Celtics have just finished their most difficult stretch of the year. If the players are worn out, it is crucial that they get some rest in these two games before their rematch with the Phoenix Suns.
These kinds of injury reports should become increasingly commonplace because the upcoming schedule is very flexible. The season still contains a lot of nice matchups between games, relatively few games against good teams, and Boston has an eight-game lead in the Eastern Conference. Boston wants to be ready for a postseason run at full strength.
Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard may all get to start depending on who is ruled out. Given that Porzingis is formally out of the lineup, Horford has virtually little chance of losing that position. Pratt deserves a fair shot at playing time, especially since Boston is visiting his native Oregon. There, the audience always adores him. When Pritchard achieved a 30-point triple-double in the final game of the previous season’s regular season, that was the last occasion all of the starters did not play. If a couple starters play, he probably will not do that, but it would be awesome to watch him light up the hometown crowd.
Malcolm Brogdon, a former Celtic, and Robert Williams III, a member of the Blazers, will both miss time due to chronic injuries. Jerami Grant and Justin Minaya are day-to-day, while Shaedon Sharpe and Jabari Walker are also out. That should give another ex-Celtic plenty of room to boil. Yes, people, it is time for Dalano Banton.
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