The Celtics are going through a very tough part of their schedule right now.
Not only are they heading to Milwaukee for their fifth game in seven nights, it’s a back-to-back that came after NBC flexed their original 6 p.m. start to 8 p.m. on national TV. The longer breaks, plus a handful of reviews, pushed that game to nearly two-and-a-half hours, about 10-12 minutes longer than average, which meant they got into Milwaukee just that much later for their Monday night game.
That alone will make things difficult for the Celtics against the Bucks (7:30 p.m ET tip). The Celtics have added both Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta to the injury report.
Brown will miss the game with an illness. He scored 27 points and had eight rebounds, and eight assists last night to beat the Sixers.
Queta will also miss the game, with the Celtics listing it as a rest day. He earned it with a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds (his career high rebounds is 20).
“Just great rebounding on both ends,” Joe Mazzulla said of Queta’s night. “I thought Neemi matched and exceeded [Philadelphia’s] physicality, having 10 offensive rebounds, some in-traffic rebounds defensively, but I thought his paint presence on the offensive end, his ability to finish, they were at the level and making plays in the seam, whether it was for himself or for others, getting to the free-throw line, I thought he played well.”
It’s likely Nikola Vucevic will get the start in Queta’s place. Because the Celtics are lacking ball-handlers, Payton Pritchard will likely remain on the bench with someone like Hugo Gonzalez or Jordan Walsh getting the start for Brown.
Jayson Tatum remains out with the right Achilles tendon recovery.
The Celtics injuries aren’t the only reason this game will be difficult. The Bucks are about to make a significant upgrade, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return tonight against the Boston Celtics after missing the last 5-plus weeks with a right calf strain, sources tell ESPN,” he reported on Twitter. The Buck officially upgraded him to “questionable” on the new injury report, so he’ll have to go through is pregame workout before the Bucks make an official announcement.
Antetokounmpo will certainly be on a minutes restriction, but his return puts the Celtics at an even bigger disadvantage. Antetokounmpo is one of the league’s best at drawing fouls and free throws, so any sort of foul trouble will certainly hurt the Celtics due to a lack of depth.