The Hospital Celtics are back for a hopefully limited engagement, as Boston is seeing several new faces on the injury list ahead of their road meeting with the Toronto Raptors at their temporary, pandemic-necessitated home of Tampa, Florida this Monday, Jan. 4.
The Celtics have been without the services of All-Star point guard Kemba Walker for the entirety of the still-young season as he rehabilitates his left knee, treated in the offseason with a stem cell injection and ongoing strengthening regimen, as well as second-year wing Romeo Langford, recuperating from surgery to repair tendons in his wrist. Added to that has been reserve wing Javonte Green, out for the NBA’s health and safety protocols as a precautionary measure.
Celtics vs. Raptors: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks (Jan. 4) https://t.co/TIcWpFLfr0
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 4, 2021
Now, veteran guard Jeff Teague will join them, to sit with a left ankle sprain, with defensive specialist Marcus Smart listed as questionable with a right thumb sprain.
The Raptors have only wing Patrick McCaw out to rehabilitate his left knee as well, giving the 1-4 Toronto squad a chance at crawling out of the East’s basement.
With Celtics on the cusp of having to get creative in the backcourt — depending on the status of Smart for the game — on the back end of a back-to-back — it could make for some especially ugly basketball
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