HOUSTON — The Celtics will be severely short-handed when they face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night on the second night of a back-to-back. Boston will be without Anfernee Simons, who was reportedly traded to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, and without Sam Hauser, who is dealing with a right thumb sprain.
In addition to those guaranteed absences, Jaylen Brown is doubtful to play with left hamstring tightness and right knee soreness, two injuries he missed time on Friday. Brown was icing both body
parts in the locker room after Tuesday’s 110-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks, in which he exploded for 33 points and 11 rebounds. The Celtics star was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month in January for the first time in his career.
Chris Boucher, who has only appeared in one game since November and was not with the team in Dallas, is out for personal reasons.
With the Celtics shorthanded, it’s likely the team will start Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, and Neemias Queta. If Brown misses Wednesday’s game, Jordan Walsh or Hugo Gonzalez may take his spot in the starting lineup. Payton Pritchard came off the bench for the first time this season on Tuesday, and indicated postgame that’s likely to be the plan moving forward.
“You see how our team is constructed, you need somebody to bench to handle the rock, and it’s good, D-White comes out, I come in, and there’s always somebody that can bring it up, get us into the flow, stuff like that,” Pritchard said. “So, it just makes the most sense for our team.”
The Houston Rockets will be without Steven Adams (who had season-ending left ankle surgery last month), Fred VanVleet (who tore his ACL before the season started), and Dorian Finney-Smith (who is dealing with a left ankle injury). Kevin Durant is probable to play with a left ankle sprain.
Injury reports during trade deadline season
Injury reports trigger extra speculation with the trade deadline just over 24 hours away. Simons’ “personal reasons” tag is indicative of the fact he was traded, and Boucher’s could similarly indicate that (though it’s also possible he is dealing with something else).
Hauser could similarly be a trade candidate, though his injury report designation points toward him dealing with an injury.
