Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Rule Out Four Starters Including Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown vs. Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are about to catch a break.
The red-hot Boston Celtics will be without four of their five starters for Monday's game in Toronto, the team announced Monday afternoon. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III will all be sidelined against Toronto.
It's fortuitous news for the Raptors who sit just one game up on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Initially, Monday's game against the Celtics looked like a penciled-in loss for Toronto. Boston has been borderline unstoppable for the past two months. Now, however, the Raptors are -7.5 point favorites against the Celtics, per SI Sportsbook.
Elsewhere in the East, the Chicago Bulls are set to play the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET while the Cavaliers will host the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. ET. Should the Bulls lose, Toronto would pull within a game of Chicago for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors will be without Khem Birch and Malachi Flynn against Boston. Gary Trent Jr. remains questionable to play, though he was seen shooting around at the team's morning shootaround.
Further Reading
Precious Achiuwa explains how Toronto's trust has helped him become a reliable three-point threat
Raptors unfazed by Scotiabank Arena fire & sudden suspension in blowout of Pacers
Chris Boucher explains how the worst game of his career changed his life
