Celtics at Hawks
There might be a notable case of missing All-Star guards on the floor Monday when the Boston Celtics visit the Atlanta Hawks. Boston's Kemba Walker missed his team's win over Philadelphia on Saturday due to knee soreness and he has already been ruled out for this one.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's do-everything Trae Young exited Saturday's loss at Dallas due to a sprained ankle and did not return, although initial reports suggest the injury is minor. "You just play whoever you can," Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce told reporters on trying to survive without Young and several others in the 123-100 setback. "And you feel how the game's going. They're in the same boat, they had a bunch of guys out, and they played small and they moved the basketball." Jaylen Brown made Walker's absence a non-factor in the 116-95 win over the 76ers, scoring 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Brown also had 24 points and 10 boards in a 109-106 win over Atlanta at home in the first meeting, a game in which Young's 3-point try in the closing seconds was blocked.
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Boston, FS Southeast, NBATV Canada
ABOUT THE CELTICS (33-15): Brown was left off the All-Star roster despite averaging 20.4 points and shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, but he's focused on other things. "Ain't no reason to cry over spilled milk," he said of not making the All-Star team. "Playoffs is on my mind. That's the stage you want to be on. I think some people have got it backwards." Jayson Tatum, who was named an All-Star for the first time, added 25 points Saturday for his fifth straight 20-plus game.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (13-37): In addition to Young, Atlanta also lost Cam Reddish (concussion protocol) during Saturday's game and it started the contest without De'Andre Hunter (ankle), Alex Len (hip) and Bruno Fernando (calf). "Everybody doesn't have a healthy team," guard Kevin Huerter told reporters after finishing with 20 points. "Obviously, (the Mavericks) have their two best players out, so it's really no excuse on our end. We'd love to have (our injured guys) out there, but just like they did, obviously we've got to (play the) next man up." John Collins led the way in the loss with 26 points and 11 rebounds for his third straight double-double.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Collins is averaging 23.7 points and 14.3 rebounds during his double-double streak.
2. Celtics SF Gordon Hayward was 1-of-11 from the floor Saturday after going 27-of-45 over his previous three games.
3. Boston won each of the last five meetings.