The Boston Celtics have announced that the team will be closer to full strength against the Charlotte Hornets Sunday as both forward Al Horford and Marcus Morris will return:

Both players have been dealing with knee injuries. Both are key to the team on both ends of the floor.

Horford is the Celtics' defensive anchor in the middle, calling out opposing play calls and providing an intimidating presence in the paint. The veteran big man is also a versatile offensive player who can score inside and out.

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Morris is known to be a tough perimeter defender and has made his name with the Celtics by guarding the opponent's biggest offensive threat when Marcus Smart isn't on the floor. The 29-year-old is also shooting a red-hot 42.4 percent on 3-pointers.

Surprisingly, the Celtics have had their share of struggles to start this season. Many expected them to be the front-runner in the Eastern Conference, but instead, Boston has lurched to an 18-13 record, only good enough for the No. 5 seed. While this isn't a terrible record, a lot more was expected of a team that was one game away from the NBA Finals last season without two of their best players.

While Boston has excelled on the defensive end, the team has struggled on the offensive end, ranking just 13th in the league in offensive efficiency.  The return of Horford and Morris should help as guys can take back the previous roles they held when the team was fully healthy.

The Celtics are trying to end a three-game losing streak.