The Boston Celtics will face a very, very thin Brooklyn Nets roster at Barclay’s Center tonight as the Celtics seek to win their sixth victory in a row as they hope to improbably pass the Nets in the East standings with a win.
The Nets announced on Tuesday morning that veteran superstar guard James Harden will not be able to take the court against the Celtics with ongoing hamstring tightness, missing his third game in a row with the notoriously tricky injury. Brooklyn is already without stars Kevin Durant (MCL sprain) and Kyrie Irving (ineligible to play due to vaccination status), starter Joe Harris (ankle surgery recovery), and LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle sprain), and Paul Milsap (personal reasons).
Nic Claxton (hamstring tightness) has also been downgraded to a scratch.
The Nets say James Harden (left hamstring tightness) is out tonight against Boston.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 8, 2022
If the Celtics’ current players truly want to see their front office invest in this season, this game is effectively a must-win, and their last audition for such a path given the team does not play again until after the deadline on Friday.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!