The Boston Celtics are in the midst of a long homestand, and they’ve been dealing with some injuries. Through their first two games of their seven-game homestand, they are 101, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers and beating the Denver Nuggets. But now, they’re set to welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to town.
Portland has been exceeding expectations as of late. They are four games out of the Play-In Tournament but only one game behind the Phoenix Suns in 11th place in the West. They’ll likely fall short of a postseason this year, but they have shown some major progress, especially on the defensive end.
Here is the Celtics injury report for their game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, March 5.
Celtics injury report vs. Trail Blazers on Wednesday, March 5
- Jaylen Brown AVAILABLE (non-covid illness)
- Jrue Holiday OUT (right hand mallet finger)
- Kristaps Porzingis OUT (non-covid illness)
- Payton Pritchard AVAILABLE (left hip flexor tightness)
- Jayson Tatum OUT (right shoulder impingement)
- Derrick White AVAILABLE (low back contusion)
Trail Blazers injury report vs. Celtics on Wednesday, March 5
- Robert Williams OUT (knee)
- Matisse Thybulle OUT (ankle)
- Deandre Ayton OUT (calf)
- Jerami Grant OUT (knee)
This is the longest the Celtics’ injury report has been in weeks, and it’s looking like they could use this contest as a rest game.
Jrue Holiday was doubtful to play with right hand mallet finger, and the same can be said for Kristaps Porzingis. Neither has played in the last two games, and both have been downgraded to out.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are new additions to the injury report. Tatum is dealing with a right shoulder impingement, and Brown is dealing with an illness. Tatum will be out, but Brown is available.
On top of that, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are also listed on the injury report due to a low back contusion and left hip flexor tightness, respectively. Both will play, as they were upgraded from probable to available.
For the Trail Blazers, former Celtic Robert Williams is out due to a knee issue, and Matisse Thybulle is also out due to an ankle injury. Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton is out with a calf strain, and Jerami Grant was questionable to play with a knee ailment, but he has since been downgraded to out.
Projected starting lineups for Celtics vs. Trail Blazers
This is likely what the Celtics will roll with:
- Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown
- Sam Hauser
- Al Horford
- Luke Kornet
Here is what the Trail Blazers’ first five could look like:
- Anfernee Simons
- Shaedon Sharpe
- Deni Avdija
- Toumani Camara
- Donovan Clingan