Speaking to the media after practice ahead of the Boston Celtics’ road tilt with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday evening, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka revealed that the team would be playing without a member of their starting backcourt, but would also be getting another guard back from injury.
Veteran point guard Marcus Smart will sit with a bruised thigh sustained in the Celtics’ last game — a home contest with the Pacers on Monday — while second-year guard Payton Pritchard will make his return from the NBA’s health and safety protocols after a lengthy stay there.
Udoka anticipates ‘sixth man’ Dennis Schroder stepping into the role as the lead point guard, with Pritchard likely filling in the gaps along with less traditional ballhandlers perhaps helping to pick up the slack against a banged-up Pacers squad.
#NEBHInjuryReport update: Marcus Smart is out tonight. Payton Pritchard is set to return, per Coach Udoka.https://t.co/bdlJPwzWZz
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 12, 2022
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