BOSTON — The Celtics will try to win their second straight game at home on Wednesday night against the Blazers but will need to do so without three usual starters. The team announced they will be without Jrue Holiday (mallet finger), Kristaps Porzingis (non-COVID illness) and Jayson Tatum (shoulder impingement) for the tilt at TD Garden.
Payton Pritchard (hip flexor) and Derrick White (low back contusion) were upgraded to available after being originally listed as probable. Jaylen Brown (illness) will also be active after being questionable for the matchup.
It will be the fourth game Tatum has missed this season and his first since December 23 against the Magic. Boston has gone 2-1 in games without the All-Star this year.
Holiday has missed two straight games with his finger injury but did take part in a practice on Tuesday at the Auerbach Center.
“I went for a rebound, ball hit my finger and next thing you know I’m in a cast,” Holiday said earlier this week. ‘Obviously a little frustrating, would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen.”
Porzingis will miss his third straight game and his fourth in the past five games after dealing with a lengthy illness.
Boston is starting off a back-to-back set on Wednesday night with a tilt against the 76ers on Thursday so it would be unlikely for Porzingis, Holiday or Al Horford to play both legs of the back-to-back. Boston could end up staggering rest nights for Tatum and Brown amid the start of a brutal seven games in 11 nights stretch that begins on Wednesday.
Portland will be without Jerami Grant and Robert Williams for Wednesday’s matchup, which tips off at 7 p.m. at TD Garden.
