Washington, D.C. — The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown when they face the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Brown will miss his first game of the season with a non-COVID illness after previously being listed as doubtful. The rest of the team, with the exception of Jayson Tatum, is available.
For the Wizards, Alex Sarr (right adductor strain), Corey Krispert (right thumb fracture), Tre Johnson (left hip flexor), Bilal Coulibaly (right oblique strain), and Sharife Cooper (right calf strain) are all out.
Last time the two teams faced off, the Celtics beat the Wizards 136-107, and Josh Minott scored a career-high 21 points. At Celtics shootaround on Thursday morning at Georgetown University, Minott recalled the key to his big game.
“My defense — being active on both sides of the ball,” Minott said, describing the victory as “a great team win.”
Minott is shooting a career-best 42.9% from three this season, and was 3-5 from downtown in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks.
“I’ve been working every day, but it’s the combination — the opportunity meets preparation,” Minott said.
With Brown out, it’s possible Minott could slot into the starting lineup. Hugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, and Anfernee Simons are also potential candidates.
The Celtics enter Thursday night having won two straight games and 4 of their last 5 games. At 12-9, they currently have the East’s 6th-best record, and could improve to 5th place with a win on Thursday, given that they have the tiebreaker against the Orlando Magic.
The Wizards, meanwhile, have the East’s worst record at 3-17.
