The Celtics will be undermanned in the frontcourt against the Clippers on Monday night, despite getting a big boost at center. The team has announced that three major players are on the injury report for tonight’s game at TD Garden as they face a back-to-back against a great Clippers team.

The big news of the evening is the expected return of Kristaps Porzingis. The team upgraded him to probable for the first time after a five-month absence following offseason leg surgery. Porzingis had missed the first 17 games of the season but returned to practice last week in a battle with Boston’s G-League affiliate.

Jayson Tatum spoke at length last week about the impact Porzingis expected upon his return.

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“What kind of lift do I think he’ll give us? I mean, you saw it last year,” Tatum said. “We’re just a really good team right now. I mean, when we got KP, we were so much better on both ends of the floor. our chemistry is there. You know, it’s like having a cheat code. A seven-foot man who you can get a ball on in mismatches and watch him go to work.

The timing for Porzingis’ return couldn’t be much better considering the other ailments affecting Boston’s frontcourt. Al Horford (non-COVID illness) is listed as questionable and expected to miss the second half of the back-to-back after playing big minutes in Sunday’s win over the Wolves. He hasn’t played in a back-to-back the past two seasons.

Luke Kornet is also listed as questionable for Monday evening due to hamstring tightness. He was a late scratch for Sunday’s win over Wolves with the same injury. Without Horford and Kornet, the Celtics will still need Xavier Tillman or Neemias Queta for big minutes off the bench, even with Porzingis returning to the lineup. Tillman was the main backup center on Sunday, while Neemias Queta received his first DNP-CD in weeks.

The Celtics host the Clippers at TD Garden on Monday evening at 7:30 PM.