Celtics injury report: 3 players listed for Monday’s game against the Clippers

The Celtics will remain undermanned up front against the Clippers on Monday night, despite getting a big boost in center. The team announced that three major players are on the injury report for today’s contest at TD Garden as they face a hot Clippers team in a two-in-one rematch.

The big news of the evening is the expected return of Kristaps Porzingis. The team rated him as a probable player for the first time after a five-month absence due to offseason leg surgery. Porzingis had missed the first 17 games of the season but returned to practice last week against Boston’s G League affiliate.

Jayson Tatum spoke at length last week about the impact he expected from Porzingis upon his return.

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“What kind of takeaway do I think he’s going to give us? I mean, you saw it last year,” Tatum said. “We’re just a really good team at the moment. I mean, when we got KP, we were just a lot better on both ends of the floor. Our chemistry is right. You know, it’s like having a cheat code. A 6-foot guy who you can give a ball to when there’s a mismatch and watch him go to work.”

The timing of Porzingis’ return couldn’t be better, considering Boston’s frontcourt is also dealing with other ailments. Al Horford (no COVID illness) is listed as questionable and is expected to miss the second half of back-to-back games after playing good minutes in Sunday’s win over the Wolves. He has not played in back-to-back games in the last two seasons.

Luke Kornet is also listed as questionable for Monday evening due to a hamstring strain. He was forced out late before Sunday’s win against Wolves with the same injury. Without the availability of Horford and Kornet, the Celtics will still need Xavier Tillman or Neemias Queta for big minutes off the bench even after Porzingis returns to the lineup. Tillman was the primary backup center on Sunday, and Neemias Queta received his first DNP-CD in weeks.

The Celtics host the Clippers at TD Garden on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.