Ben Simmons has already been ruled out for Wednesday's marquee matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. Kyrie Irving will be doing the heavy lifting for the Nets as he looks to carry an injury-riddled Brooklyn side against his former team. For their part, the Celtics could be shorthanded as well with Robert Williams also popping up on the injury report prior to Wednesday's clash.

Robert Williams injury status vs. Nets

At the moment, Williams has been tagged as questionable to play as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. It's this same left ankle sprain that kept Time Lord out of Saturday's controversial win against the Los Angeles Lakers. It is worth noting that he was also initially listed as questionable to play for that one before eventually being ruled out against LeBron James and Co. Unless there is a significant improvement with his ankle, Williams could be headed toward a similar situation against Brooklyn.

Marcus Smart is still going to be out of action for the Celtics with an ankle injury that could keep him out until the All-Star break. Likewise, Danilo Gallinari (ACL repair) remains without a timetable to return.

As for the Nets, Simmons joins Kevin Durant on the sidelines for Wednesday's tilt. TJ Warren is also out, while Yuta Watanabe is probable.

The Celtics snapped their three-game losing streak on Saturday at the expense of the Lakers, and they will now want to make it back-to-back victories on Wednesday against the shorthanded Nets.