The Boston Celtics' lineup got devastated by the injury bug in a big way over the last couple of days.
The schedule hasn't been kind to the Brad Stevens-mentored team either, as they must quickly pack their bags and travel to Ohio to face the Cleveland Cavaliers after surrendering a 129-120 verdict against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden on Monday.
“I have no idea who’s going to Cleveland. I think most of the coaches are going. I just want 8-9 guys, whoever’s going to play hard, let’s go. Like, that was ridiculous,” Stevens said of his depleted roster, per Celtics beat reporter Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
Kemba Walker is still not 100 percent due to a left knee injury. He soldiered on against the Nets and poured in 21 points in 23 minutes, but he won't be able to play back-to-back and won't make the trip to Cleveland on Wednesday.
Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, were both banged up versus the Nets. The pair still pitched in seven and 22 points, respectively. Hayward will likely be unavailable for the Celtics against the Cavs given the severity of his injury.
Jayson Tatum, on the other hand, missed the game against the Nets altogether due to sickness.
Making matters worse, Celtics spitfire guard Marcus Smart is also expected be disciplined by the league after getting ejected late for verbally assaulting a referee. Smart, of course, is a repeat offender and will likely be suspended for his brazen actions.
The Celtics have now dropped consecutive games and are now 41-19 on the season. They are still ranked third in the Eastern Conference, but they must shake off the injury bug in the coming days.
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