The Celtics will be without reserve center Luka Garza for Friday’s showdown with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The team ruled out the big man for the matchup after he was placed in concussion protocol following a collision in Wednesday’s loss to the 76ers. He did make the trip with teammates to New York for the matchup but was a spectator for the team’s shootaround.
Garza took an elbow to the face from Adam Bona in the second quarter of Wednesday’s matchup while crashing the offensive glass. The impact left Garza dazed on the floor for several seconds before he returned to his feet and got back into the play. He was subbed out a short time later, and the team announced he was out for the contest by halftime.
Garza finished with a rebound and block in his six minutes of action in the 117-116 loss at TD Garden. The offseason signing was expected to play a major role in the frontcourt for Boston this season after the Celtics lost three bigs via trade and free agency this summer. Instead, Boston will be pretty thin in their frontcourt as they kick off a three-game road trip in New York on Friday night.
Starting big man Neemias Queta played well Wednesday night but fouled out in 25 minutes. Boston’s only other true bigs are undersized, with Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher being the only other healthy options at center with Garza out. The team could also activate two-way rookie Amari Williams for the matchup for added depth on the bench.
On the good news injury front for Boston, Jaylen Brown was removed from the injury report entirely after he dealt with a hamstring injury over the past week. Boston will face a Knicks squad that will be without starting center Mitchell Robinson on Friday night with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
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