The Boston Celtics haven't been playing great basketball since the All-Star break, but they have managed to string together two straight wins, with their victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night being about as commanding of a victory as we have seen from Boston in awhile. The C's play the Utah Jazz on Saturday night now, and it looks like they will be without several key players for this game, including starting point guard Marcus Smart.
Via Tim Bontemps:
“The Celtics say Robert Williams, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard will all sit out tonight's game in Utah.”
It isn't too surprising to see Robert Williams and Payton Pritchard remain out, as Williams has missed seven games with a hamstring injury, while Pritchard has missed five with a heel injury. But Smart and Al Horford both played against Portland the other night, and while Horford hasn't played in a pair of back-to-backs all season long, it is a bit interesting to see Smart miss this game.
Chances are the C's are likely being cautious with Smart, who is dealing with a left hip contusion, by holding him out for this game. Smart battled through an illness on Friday against Portland to help Boston pick up a much needed win, but it looks like he may have picked up another injury in the process, which is why it makes sense for him to sit in this game.
With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown set to go for this game, the Celtics should still be favored to come out on top over the Jazz. But they will be without some key pieces of their rotation, so that's something that will be worth keeping an eye on in their upcoming action to see if it makes life more difficult for Boston.
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