Celtics Facing Key Absences Ahead of Friday Night Matchup with Nets
BROOKLYN - The Boston Celtics are heading into Friday night’s tilt against the Brooklyn Nets potentially short-handed - and not just by a player or two. Already without Derrick White, who’s sitting out for rest, the Celtics added big man Neemias Queta to the injury report Friday morning due to a non-COVID illness. His status is now up in the air.
The injury report doesn’t stop there. Josh Minott remains sidelined with a left ankle sprain, and Jayson Tatum continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon - a major blow to Boston’s star power and wing depth.
On the other side, the Nets will be without Haywood Highsmith, who’s still recovering from right knee surgery.
Despite the injuries, Boston enters the game in strong form. At 27-16, they hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and boast the NBA’s second-best net rating at +7.6 - a sign of how dominant they’ve been on both ends of the floor.
Brooklyn, by contrast, is in the midst of a tough season. With a 12-30 record and a net rating of -6.3 (fifth-worst in the league), the Nets are still searching for consistency and identity.
Fourth and Final Regular Season Meeting
This will mark the fourth meeting between the Celtics and Nets this season - and the series has been anything but one-sided. The two teams have split their previous matchups, each taking a win. Boston comes into this one riding the momentum of a convincing 15-point victory over the Atlanta Hawks, while Brooklyn is looking to bounce back after a brutal 54-point loss to the New York Knicks - the kind of loss that tends to linger.
At Friday’s shootaround in Brooklyn, Celtics forward Luka Garza made it clear the team isn’t taking the Nets lightly, especially given the circumstances.
“Every time a team takes a loss like that, you expect them to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of fire,” Garza said. “But for us, we also remember the last time we played them, and they beat our ass. So, we have a lot of motivation coming into tonight, too.”
That last meeting in November saw the Nets walk away with a 14-point win - something that clearly stuck with the Celtics. And while the Nets are reeling, they’ve proven they can rise to the occasion against Boston.
This one has all the makings of a gritty, high-effort game, especially with pride and season series bragging rights on the line. For Boston, it’s about staying sharp even without key pieces. For Brooklyn, it’s a chance to respond after a humbling loss and show they’ve still got fight left in them.