The Boston Celtics’ top two centers, Kristaps Porzingis and his backup Al Horford, will be on the shelf for the club’s NBA Cup game against the Washington Wizards on Friday, according to the league’s latest injury report. Horford is battling an illness while Porzingis continues to recover from offseason foot surgery.

According to the Celtics’ official X account, Neemias Queta will start in place of Horford. Queta has emerged as head coach Joe Mazzulla’s preferred backup for Horford, edging out Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman.

Queta joins the rest of Boston’s regular starting five: All-Defensive guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White and All-Star forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Boston will face its own former Sixth Man of the Year, guard Malcolm Brogdon, who is now headed to Washington. Two-way Celtics players JD Davison, Drew Peterson and Anton Watson are all members of Boston’s G League club, the Maine Celtics. Rookie wing Baylor Scheierman is also on deployment to Maine.

For the Wizards, forward Saddiq Bey will be out for most of the season (maybe all of it) as he continues to rehab from left knee ACL surgery. Tristan Vukcevic is out with a left knee contusion. Two-way player Justin Champagnie works at the Wizards’ NBAGL affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Deep-bench Washington center Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 pick in 2018 ahead of Luka Doncic, Trae Young and other All-Stars, has been upgraded to available despite a sore right groin, according to Celtics broadcaster Sean Grande.

At 12-3, Boston has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Boston ranks No. 1 in the league in both three-pointers attempted and made, and will be a formidable foe for the Wizards, who occupy the East’s No. 14 spot at just 2-11, ahead of only the spiraling Philadelphia 76ers (2 – 12).

The Celtics and Wizards both occupy East Group C in the ongoing NBA Cup. The Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are the other clubs in the pack. Atlanta leads all comers with a 2-0 record (including a win against Boston), while the Celtics and Cavaliers are both 1-1 and still very much in the hunt as the 7-9 Hawks are quite too be defeated. Atlanta will take on the 6-10 Bulls on Friday.

Even without Horford or Porzingis, the Celtics are 15-point favorites to win against the Wizards, according to sportsbook aggregator The Action Network.

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