Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - January 19th , 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Boston Celtics will host the Charlotte Hornets at the TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday, January 19th.
With a 97-87 win against the New York Knicks, the Hornets returned to winning ways after a 116-109 loss to the Orlando Magic. They are currently 24-20 on the season.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will also head into this game with momentum following a 104-92 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. With their second win in as many games, the Celtics have improved to 23-22 on the season.
Charlotte Hornets Injury Report
The Charlotte Hornets have two players in their injury report for their game against the Celtics.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has been upgraded from out to questionable, but he remains in the league's health and safety protocols. The Hornets' guard-forward has been out of the team's rotation since January 9.
INJURY UPDATE: @hornets @ BOS 1/19
Kelly Oubre Jr. (Return from H&S Protocols) is QUESTIONABLE
#AllFly
Vernon Carey Jr. will also be out of the rotation due to the league's health and safety protocols. However, he may be questionable, considering his day-to-day status.
Although LaMelo Ball was available in the game against the New York Knicks, he was on the bench due to a minor illness. He should be available for this matchup against the Celtics, though.
Boston Celtics Injury Report
The Boston Celtics have two players in their injury report for their home game on Wednesday.
Marcus Smart continues to feature in their injury report. He has been out of the team's rotation, as he has been under the league's health and safety protocols since January 10. As he is expected to clear quarantine soon, he has been listed as questionable for this game.
Marcus Smart (Health and Safety Protocols) and Aaron Nesmith (right ankle sprain) both questionable for Boston tomorrow vs. the Hornets, per the NBA's 5:30 PM injury report
Meanwhile, Aaron Nesmith has joined the injury report after sustaining an ankle injury on Tuesday. However, he has been listed as questionable, and has been recovering on a day-to-day basis.
Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Predicted Lineups
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets had to make some adjustments with their lineup for their last game against New York. In LaMelo Ball's absence, the Hornets opted for Cody Martin in their rotation.
However, with Ball available for this game, the Hornets should stick to their original rotation of Ball and Terry Rozier in the backcourt. The frontcourt should also remain the same. Miles Bridges will likely start at small forward; Gordon Hayward should join him at power forward, with Mason Plumlee starting at center.
Charlotte have struggled for productivity from their bench in their last few games, in the absence of a scoring punch like Kelly Oubre Jr. However, the team could look at a bench rotation comprising Jaden McDaniels and Cody Martin along with PJ Washington, who may see significant minutes in this game. Ish Smith may also see some time as a backup point guard.
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Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have enjoyed a relatively well-established rotation, given their healthy roster. Although Robert Williams III was out of the game against the Pelicans, he is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday.
#Celtics C Robert Williams III did not play yesterday due to the birth of his son. He will play tomorrow's game.
With Marcus Smart still out, the Celtics could continue with their backcourt duo of Dennis Schroder and Jaylen Brown. The frontcourt trio should continue to see Jayson Tatum at small forward and Al Horford at power forward.
Although Horford played center in the last game, with Grant Williams playing power forward, Williams III will likely start at center, which would enable Horford to return to the forward position.
The Celtics will likely continue to see significant minutes from Grant Williams and Josh Richardson off the bench. They might also see more minutes from Payton Pritchard and Romeo Langford.
Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Predicted Starting 5s
Charlotte Hornets
G - LaMelo Ball | G - Terry Rozier | F - Miles Bridges | F - Gordon Hayward | C - Mason Plumlee.
Boston Celtics
G - Dennis Schroder | G - Jaylen Brown | G - Jayson Tatum | F - Al Horford | C - Robert Williams III.
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