An ankle harm despatched one of many Celtics’ most necessary gamers to the locker room early in Sunday’s sport at TD Backyard.
Beginning heart Neemias Queta got here up limping after a midair collision with Magic guard Anthony Black halfway by means of the primary quarter. Queta, in seen ache, was briefly evaluated on the Celtics’ bench earlier than hobbling down the tunnel.
The Celtics introduced his harm as a left ankle sprain. He didn’t return.
Queta jumped from fourth to first on Boston’s large man depth chart following the offseason departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, and he’s impressed in his first season as an NBA starter. The 26-year-old 7-footer entered Sunday averaging 9.5 factors, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per sport, with superior metrics that rank among the many league’s greatest.
Solely two NBA gamers boasted a greater defensive ranking than Queta’s 99.8 coming into Sunday’s motion. His 16.8 internet ranking was seventh-best, and his plus-126 plus/minus was tied for tenth.
“I feel our protection is fairly good typically to begin with, however I feel he’s additionally actually improved, particularly in his rim safety and his pick-and-roll protection,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned earlier than Sunday’s sport. “He’s carried out a fantastic job simply understanding his matchup each night time, understanding the schemes and sort of the offensive system and the way we must be. He’s actually grown in that space. It’s a credit score to him, and clearly the fellows round him who compete defensively, as effectively.”
The Celtics even have been a much better group with Queta on the courtroom this season. Their internet ranking drops by 28.7 factors when he sits, in line with Cleansing the Glass, the third-highest disparity of any NBA participant.
Luka Garza has been Queta’s major backup this season, however veteran Chris Boucher was the primary participant off the bench to exchange Queta on Sunday. Boucher had been a wholesome DNP in six of the earlier seven video games, unable to crack Mazzulla’s ever-evolving rotation.
After Boucher’s first shift, the Celtics went small with 6-foot-8 Josh Minott on the 5 towards a Magic group that was down beginning heart Wendell Carter Jr. and his backup, Goga Bitadze. Minott performed 20 minutes within the win, registering 16 factors on 7-of-8 taking pictures and 7 rebounds. Boston outscored Orlando by 15 factors with Minott on the ground and by 9 over Boucher’s 14 minutes.
The Celtics performed a lot of the fourth quarter with a good smaller lineup that featured guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard and wings Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Jordan Walsh, all of whom are 6-foot-7 or shorter. Neither Garza nor reserve large man Xavier Tillman performed within the win.
Two-way rookie Amari Williams, who has but to see significant NBA taking part in time, was with the Celtics’ G League group on Sunday.
Excluding rehabbing famous person Jayson Tatum, only one Celtics participant has missed a sport because of harm this season (Garza sat out one with a concussion on Oct. 24). Shedding Queta for any size of time would put pressure on a comparatively inexperienced roster that was one of the NBA’s healthiest over the opening month of the season.
Mazzulla didn’t have an replace on Queta’s situation throughout his postgame information convention. The Celtics can have a two-day layoff earlier than they host the Pistons on Wednesday.
