Thunder at Celtics
Rajon Rondo will be back in action Wednesday when he leads the Boston Celtics into a matchup at home with Oklahoma City. Rondo missed his team's 106-101 win at Chicago on Saturday after having screws removed from his surgically repaired left hand, a procedure that was expected to take place later in the season but initiated after the speedy point guard had some soreness. Without their floor general, the Celtics shot 51.9 percent and got seven players in double figures in the win over Chicago.
The Thunder also took another step toward a return to health when they dressed 10 players for the first time this season in an 85-78 loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday. The increased depth did little to improve the club's offensive woes, as Oklahoma City shot 33.3 percent overall and was held to just 14 fourth-quarter points in falling to 0-5 on the road. Reggie Jackson continued to put the injury-plagued unit on his shoulders with a season-high 29 points.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, CSN New England
ABOUT THE THUNDER (2-6): The return of shooting guard Anthony Morrow from a sprained MCL allowed Oklahoma City to play with a bit more depth against Milwaukee, and there may be more comebacks on the horizon. Forward Perry Jones and guard Andre Roberson, both out for three games with knee and foot ailments, respectively, continue to be listed as day-to-day. Morrow scored 10 points in 14 minutes while hitting his only 3-point try at Milwaukee and could provide a boost from the perimeter for a team that entered Tuesday ranked 23rd with a 31.9 percent mark from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (3-3): The hot-shooting effort against Chicago is part of an early turnaround for one of the league's worst offensive units a season ago. Boston, which ranked 28th overall with a 43.5 percent mark from the floor in 2013-14, entered Tuesday ranked second in the NBA in scoring (106.3) and fifth in shooting (47.4) and they've done it with balance, with four players averaging between 19.7 and 13.3 points. Rondo is not among that quartet but owns the early NBA lead in assists (11.2).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics F Jeff Green is averaging 6.7 3-point attempts per game, far above his career average (3.0).
2. Jackson has played at least 41 minutes in each of his five games.
3. Boston C Tyler Zeller is 12-for-14 from the floor and 12-for-15 from the line.