The Boston Celtics have downgraded two starters to questionable ahead of their Tuesday evening road tilt with Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, per the team. The Celtics have listed big man Robert Williams III as a potential scratch with tightness in his right calf, and veteran point guard Marcus Smart the same with an unnamed, non-COVID illness.
Should one or both have to take the game off, the Celtics are much better positioned to survive even against a tough opponent like the 76ers due to the moves they made to consolidate talent at the trade deadline, with new arrivals Daniel Theis and Derrick White able to fill in for their new teammates if needed — and with a degree of familiarity for both in different ways at that.
Still, the Celtics are going to need everything they can muster to have a shot at beating one of the other hot teams in the East, with Philly’s star big man Joel Embiid making an excellent case for the league’s MVP award in recent weeks.
WATCH: Are the Boston Celtics a legitimate threat in the East? https://t.co/kMiyXaZD6J
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 15, 2022
One minor consolation for Boston this game is that the 76ers will also be without a key player as well, recently-acquired star guard James Harden, as previously reported.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
