The Celtics dropped their game against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night and will look to bounce back without Horford in the lineup on Wednesday.
Although Horford is listed as having a left big toe sprain, it has more to do with getting him some rest. This move was expected when he was ruled available for last night’s game against the Hawks.
With Horford sidelined, it’s likely that Neemias Queta will pick up the bulk of the center minutes, with Luke Kornet stepping up as well.
On Tuesday against the Hawks, he recorded eight points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field, four rebounds, two assists, and one turnover in 26 minutes of action.
The Celtics suffered their third loss of the season and now have a 9-3 record, good for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Springer will miss his third straight contest Wednesday after being downgraded from questionable to out due to left knee tendinopathy. Saturday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors is his next chance to suit up.
Their star center, Kristaps Porziņģis, is still ruled out, and that will be the case until at least next month as he rehabs from left posterior tibialis tendon surgery.
The good news about the injury report is that it doesn’t feature their star forward, Jayson Tatum. Tatum was on the injury report for Tuesday’s match, but luckily, he played.
He was on the injury report due to a tweaked ankle he suffered in Sunday’s match against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tatum is off the list and will be ready to go for Wednesday’s back-to-back.
In Tuesday’s loss, he recorded 20 points on 5-for-16 shooting from the field, six rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and two blocks in 37 minutes of action.
Tatum has been everything for the Celtics throughout their first 12 games. He leads the team in points with 29.7, rebounds with 7.5, assists with 5.2, and steals with 1.6.
The Celtics will look to move to double-digit wins with 10 by Wednesday night, and they have a solid chance of doing so.
They will take the short trip to Brooklyn, and they are favorites in that game with a -8.5 spread.
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