Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics' Latest Injury Report Brings Mostly Positive Updates
After two-straight games requiring playing past regulation to determine the outcome, including Sunday's double-overtime defeat against the Knicks, the Celtics, aiming to get back in the win column, host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday.
Boston has suffered three-straight losses and fallen short in four of its last five tilts. At 45-21, the Celtics are two games behind the top-seeded Bucks in the East and two ahead of the third-place Sixers with 16 games left in the regular season.
And after welcoming Lillard and co. to Boston, the Celtics play six-straight games away from TD Garden.
On the heels of Monday's 118-114 overtime loss to the Cavaliers, Malcolm Brogdon addressed the need for the defending Eastern Conference champions to play with urgency as they appear to be backsliding at a time they need to tighten up.
Helping the cause is the return of Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who were inactive for Monday's matchup in Cleveland on the heels of Sunday's taxing loss to New York.
Boston remains without Robert Williams due to a left hamstring strain suffered in Friday's game vs. the Nets. While the expectation is he's out for seven-to-ten days, the last thing the Celtics will do is rush Williams' return.
Payton Pritchard joins the Timelord on Boston's injury report ahead of Wednesday's contest against the Trail Blazers.
The former Oregon Duck hurt his left heel on the final play in regulation vs. the Cavaliers. Pritchard gathered the baseline inbound with 5.1 seconds left and got all the way to the basket for a layup that nearly won the game and led to Grant Williams going to the free-throw line with a chance to put the visitors ahead with less than a second remaining.
As unfortunate as Williams' two misses and the inability to pull out a win in Cleveland that would've helped chase the sour taste from Sunday's loss to the Knicks were, the Celtics can't dwell on it.
Wednesday's game against Portland tips off at 7:30 pm EST; Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Update: Per the Celtics, Payton Pritchard is inactive for Wednesday's matchup.
Further Reading
The Celtics' Identity Has Changed for the Worst, But There's Time to Recalibrate
Joe Mazzulla Reacts To Grant Williams' Crucial Missed Free Throws
Malcolm Brogdon Shares His Message to the Celtics After Overtime Loss to Cavaliers
Should the Celtics Prioritize Rest Over Their Pursuit of the One Seed? Joe Mazzulla Weighs in
