Boston Celtics DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (adductor) is considered doubtful for Thursday's clash with the Pistons. He missed the second half of Saturday's 127-121 loss to Memphis due to an adductor strain, and it appears likely that Hauser will miss Thursday's game entirely because of the injury. Prior to last weekend, Hauser enjoyed a strong stretch of games, including his best scoring performance of the season with a 20-point effort against Detroit last week. He's averaging 8.5 points in 22.2 minutes. Hauser's absence may give Drew Peterson a role in the rotation, who recently logged 25-plus minutes in back-to-back games. However, Peterson wasn't impactful, so he's not a good fantasy option.

Boston Celtics forward/center Al Horford (toe) will suit up for Thursday's battle against Detroit. The veteran missed Saturday's matchup against Memphis with a toe injury, but he's not listed on the injury report ahead of Thursday's game. Horford has started in all but one appearance this season, posting 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. With Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup, he will likely have to come off the bench in most games going forward. However, question marks hang over Jayson Tatum (kneecap) and Sam Hauser (adductor) on Thursday, which might lead to Porzingis and Horford starting together.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (kneecap) has been listed as questionable for Thursday's matchup against Detroit. He's trying to overcome right patella tendinopathy. The five-time All-Star recently missed a meeting with the Pistons due to the ailment. With Sam Hauser (adductor) doubtful for the game, Drew Peterson might return to the frontcourt rotation on Thursday. Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are also expected to do additional work. At the same time, there would be extra scoring opportunities for everybody involved.

Boston Celtics forward/center Kristaps Porzingis (leg) will return to the lineup for Saturday's contest against Memphis. He was kept out of action on Friday versus Milwaukee as Porzingis continues to manage a leg injury. The Latvian big man will be a natural replacement for Al Horford (toe), who will exit the lineup on Saturday. Porzingis only recently made his season debut and has averaged 21.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in 27.3 minutes across four games. He faces a tough matchup on Saturday, as Memphis has shown strong defensive numbers against opposing big men this season.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (foot) will take the court on Saturday against Memphis. He has been upgraded from probable to available. White is dealing with a right foot sprain but is good to go as Boston closes out a back-to-back. He's likely delighted to quickly get a new opportunity to play, as White had a season-low six points on horrible 1-for-10 shooting in Friday's 111-105 win over Milwaukee. That's now two rough shooting nights on the bounce for White, who is typically quite efficient with his scoring and has been averaging a career-high 17.6 points this season.