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The Boston Celtics will host the New Orleans Pelicans at TD Garden on January 17th.
Coming off a 120-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Pelicans had a two-game winning streak snapped in the process. They are now 16-27 on the season.
The Boston Celtics will head into this game on the back of a 114-112 win against the Chicago Bulls. With a close win against one of the best teams in the league, the Celtics improved to 22-22 on the season.
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report
Heading into this game against the Celtics, the New Orleans Pelicans will feature only two names on their injury report.
With no new additions to the injury report, the Pelicans will continue to see Zion Williamson and Kira Lewis Jr. out of the rotation. Williamson was due to return this season but due to unforeseen circumstances his return has been pushed back.
Kira Lewis Jr. suffered a knee injury early in the month of December. His return to the side this season is unlikely given the graveness of his condition.
With a relatively healthy roster, the Pelicans also have all of their players out of health and safety protocols.
Boston Celtics Injury Report
The Boston Celtics will have only one player who will continue to feature on their injury report.
Marcus Smart will continue to remain out of the rotation under the NBA's health and safety protocols. He was sidelined earlier last week and is expected to be out for a few more games.
Other than Smart, the Celtics fortunately continue to enjoy a healthy roster.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Boston Celtics Predicted Lineups
New Orleans Pelicans
Given the current state of the Pelicans' roster, the side enjoys a fairly well-established rotation. They feature Devonte' Graham at point guard and Josh Hart at shooting guard to fill out the starting backcourt. The combination of shooting by Graham and rebounding and defensive effort by Hart made for a solid guard unit.
The frontcourt trio comprises of Brandon Ingram at small forward along with Herb Jones at power forward and Jonas Valanciunas at center.
Ingram has been a bright spark over the course of the last five games. With him and Valanciunas in the frontcourt, the Pelicans enjoy some solid inside-outside scoring overall.
Herb Jones has also been a revelation. Viewed as a solid defender and contributor, Jones fills in nicely in Willamson's absence. However, Zion will be key to their success in the future.
Coming off the bench, the Pelicans will see significant minutes from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Garrett Temple, Jaxson Hayes and Jose Alvarado. The Pelicans used a 12-man rotation in their previous game but it is unlikely that they will repeat this practice.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have settled into a fairly consistent rotation with their roster at full strength. Although Marcus Smart continues to be sidelined, the overall look of the team is more or less in place.
With Dennis Schroder continuing to start at point guard in place of Smart, the Celtics also see Jaylen Brown start as shooting guard. Jayson Tatum will continue to start at small forward as Al Horford and Robert Williams III fill out the remainder out the starting frontcourt.
Boston's depth is impressive given the talent at their disposal. However, the only players receiving significant burn will be Josh Richardson, Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams. Enes Freedom may also see a few minutes since he was used in the previous game.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Boston Celtics Predicted Starting 5’s
New Orleans Pelicans
G - Devonte' Graham | G - Josh Hart | F - Brandon Ingram | F - Herb Jones | C - Jonas Valanciunas
Boston Celtics
G - Dennis Schroder | G - Jaylen Brown | F - Jayson Tatum | F - Al Horford | C - Robert Williams III
Guess the Lakers players!
