The Celtics have a chance at NBA history, but instead of pushing for it, they will rest the majority of their rotation Wednesday against the Magic. The Celtics have their top-6 rotation players all listed on the injury report with five of them already being out.
Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Al Horford (right knee sprain), Kristaps Porzingis (illness reconditioning), Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) and Derrick White (ankle sprain) are all out. However, Jaylen Brown is questionable with his continued right knee bone bruise.
The C’s are coming off an overtime win over the Knicks on Tuesday, so they have the back-to-back against the Magic on Wednesday. The Celtics are also one win away from matching the 2015-16 Warriors for most road wins in NBA history. But the C’s will expectedly not be pushing for that record, instead prioritizing rest ahead of the playoffs.
The Celtics had everyone available in New York expect for Horford, who will miss his second straight game. Brown has played through the bone bruise in his right knee, though he was clearly not effective against the Knicks. Porzingis urged Brown to take some time off ahead of the playoffs, but there’s a chance the All-Star could play Wednesday in Orlando.
Notably, the Celtics are locked into second place in the East so the rest of these games don’t matter for playoff positioning. However, the Magic are still playing to solidify their No. 7 spot in the East standings. If they win Wednesday over the C’s, Orlando clinches home-court advantage in the play-in tournament and the No. 7 spot.
So, there’s a chance the Celtics could see the Magic in the first round of the playoffs should Orlando advance to the playoffs. But there are still at least a few more games until then as the C’s will rest up ahead of the most important part of the year.