The 12-3 Boston Celtics, fresh off handing the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the season, have a lot of momentum going into tonight’s matchup against the Washington Wizards. Both teams met up at the beginning of the season, with the Celtics winning 122-102. Since then, the two teams have had complete opposite seasons. While the Celtics own the second-best record in the NBA, the Wizards have the second-worst with a 2-11 record. In theory, the Celtics should be able to defeat the Wizards handily. However, it may prove a bit more difficult than expected as veteran big man Al Horford will not play.
Horford reportedly has an illness and will miss Boston’s game against the Wizards. It is unknown the severity of his illness or if he will miss future games. Furthermore, the Celtics are still missing Kristaps Porzingis, who has yet to make his season debut. However, he recently progressed to the next phase of his recovery from his leg injury and should return in December.
Boston Celtics Big Man to Miss Tonight’s Game vs. Washington Wizards
How the Celtics Will Make Up for Al Horford’s Absence
In his 18th season in the NBA, Horford has shown little signs of slowing down. The 38-year-old has played and started 13 games for Boston this season. In those games, he is averaging 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He is also shooting 51.6% from the field and 47.7% from beyond the arc. Horford is still making his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball and has come up clutch numerous times for the Celtics on both sides of the court. In his absence, the Celtics will likely start Neemias Queta at center.
Queta, now in his second season with the Celtics, has gradually received an expanded role with the team. After entering the season with just 48 career games played and no starts, Queta has started four games for Boston this season. While he still needs time to polish his skills, there is a lot to like about the Portuguese native. He is athletic and brings great energy to the game. Additionally, his potential on both sides of the court is obvious. Even when Horford and Porzingis return, Queta could remain in the team’s rotation.
The Last Word
The Celtics once again look like one of the best teams in the league, even without Porzingis. Currently, they rank as the third-best offensive team and the second-best scoring team. Though they still lack defensively from a stats perspective, Porzingis’ return should help the Celtics improve in this area.
A big reason for Boston’s success is the MVP-caliber season Jayson Tatum is having so far. Through 15 games, Tatum is averaging 29.9 points on 46.4% shooting from the field and 39.4% from the three-point line. He is also averaging 8.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Tatum is in line for potentially his best campaign yet. As his season continues to progress, it will be interesting to see if Tatum can remain in MVP consideration. Regardless, he and the Celtics have their eyes on a repeat, something that has not been done since the Golden State Warriors did it in 2018.
