The Celtics are set to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their fourth game of a five-game road trip…
The Celtics are set to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their fourth game of a five-game road trip, where they will encounter familiar faces in Malcolm Brogdon and Dalano Banton.
This marks the first time they’ll be playing against Brogdon since he was part of the deal for Jrue Holiday, and it’s also the first matchup against Banton since his trade to the Pacific Northwest at the deadline. This trade occurred just a day before Boston added Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman to their roster.
Brogdon is currently posting averages of 15.7 points, 5.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and has a 41.2 percent success rate from beyond the arc, attempting 5.1 shots per game.
In his 12 appearances with the Trail Blazers, with the last four as starts, Banton has been contributing 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Since moving to the starting lineup, his numbers have surged to an average of 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and a 40 percent conversion rate on 7.5 three-point attempts.
As the Celtics gear up for the first game of a back-to-back, concluding their extended road trip against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, they are faced with an extensive injury report that includes all five members of their usual starting lineup. Jaylen Brown, who scored 27 points against the Suns, is listed as questionable for Monday’s game due to a sacroiliac strain he is currently dealing with.