After a surprisingly mediocre beginning to the 2018-19 season, the Boston Celtics have won six of their last seven games to come within striking distance of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.

Still, at 31-19, five and-a-half games back of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks with only 32 games remaining on the regular-season schedule, it will be difficult for the Celtics to earn home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, key for a team that's always been far more dangerous playing in the friendly confines of Boston's TD Garden.

The ongoing absence of Kyrie Irving only further complicates matters for Brad Stevens, too.

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Irving was previously listed as doubtful for the Celtics' game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. He first suffered the left hip injury during his team's 140-132 loss to the Golden State Warriors last Saturday, in which he scored 32 points and dished 10 assists on 12-of-27 shooting.

“I don't think it'll be anything longterm,” Stevens said Monday of Irving's time away from the floor, per SB Nation's CelticsBlog, “but certainly will be day-to-day this week.”

Boston is 4-3 without Irving this season, including Monday's 112-104 win over the injury-depleted Brooklyn Nets. The superstar point guard is playing arguably the best basketball of his career in 2018-19, showing new commitment defensively while averaging a personal-best of 6.9 assists per game. The Celtics are outscoring opponents by 9.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, compared to just 0.2 points per 100 possession with him on the bench – a discrepancy that's easily biggest on the team.

Boston's next game comes on Friday at hallowed Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, not just Irving's hometown team, but also one of the several teams rumored to interest him in free agency this summer.