Six Boston Celtics players will sit out the reigning champions’ 7-1 matchup against their 2022 NBA Finals opponents, the 6-1 Golden State Warriors, on Wednesday night. Both teams have lost only one match leading up to this match. That’s going to change.

As previously announced, All-Star Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown will be shelved with a left hip flexor strain for the third straight game. The 2024 Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA honoree, appears to be well on his way to another NBA season at the age of 28. He is averaging 25.7 points on .400/.267/.809 shooting splits, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per night in his six healthy appearances.

Read more: Jaylen Brown’s status confirmed ahead of Warriors game

According to the league’s latest injury report, Brown will be joined by fellow All-Star (when healthy) starter Kristaps Porzingis, who is out until at least 2025 while he rehabilitates his surgically enhanced left posterior tibialis tendon. Four other Celtics are part of the club’s G League team, the Maine Celtics (although some of us will never forgive them for changing their name from the much nicer moniker “the Maine Red Claws”): two-way players J.D. Davison , Drew Peterson and Anton Watson, plus rookie shooting guard Baylor Scheierman, who is on assignment to do some extra running instead of staying glued to the bench all night in Boston.

The Celtics drafted Scheierman after an All-American Third Team season at Creighton in 2023-2024 with the No. 30 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-4 swingman has appeared in just three games for Boston so far came first. He is averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 boards over 6.0 minutes per game.

On the Warriors side, oft-hurt new signing De’Anthony Melton is injured again, this time with a right lower back strain, and will miss the game. The 6-foot-1 former USC combo guard, 26, joined the Warriors this summer on a one-year sign-and-trade deal worth $12.8 million. During 16.7 minutes per night off the bench in his three healthy games with Golden State thus far, Melton is averaging 6.3 points on a disappointing .350/.267/.500 slash line, 2.7 assists, 1, 3 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per night. night.

Sophomore 2024 All-Rookie Team Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski is able to play through his broken nose while continuing to wear a face mask. In his seven stints with the team (three starts – alternating between the bench and a starting role), the 21-year-old Santa Clara product is averaging 9.3 points while slashing .378/.182/.500, 5, 3 rebounds, lowers. 4.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per night.

The action kicks off at 4:30 PM PT/7:30 PM CT at TD Garden.

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