The Boston Celtics will be without Gordon Hayward for Monday's contest against the Denver Nuggets. Hayward has not yet been cleared from the league's concussion protocol. He had entered the day doubtful to suit up, having played just one minute in the team's win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

While the Celtics will be without Hayward, they will have Al Horford available. Horford had his status up in the air due to knee soreness, but with Denver's Nikola Jokic coming to town, the Celtics will need their defensive anchor in the middle.

It has been a season of ebbs and flows for Hayward, who has averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game across 64 contests (17 of which have been starts). Coming primarily off the bench for the first time since the 2012-13 season as a member of the Utah Jazz, his numerical dip can be attributed to both his return from a gruesome ankle injury and the Celtics' crowded roster, littered with players trying to get shot attempts.

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Regardless, he remains a key component of the team's second unit. That unit will be without him for Monday at least, with his next chance to suit up coming Wednesday against the rival Philadelphia 76ers.

As for Horford, he is also adjusting to a new role — not in terms of his task on the court, but in terms of the amount of minutes he plays. During his age-32 campaign, the Celtics' center is on pace for a career-low 28.7 minutes per contest, with head coach Brad Stevens hoping to keep his effectiveness high in the postseason. With Robert Williams out due to illness on Monday, having Horford on the floor becomes all the more important.