Things just aren't getting any easier on the Celtics in terms of injuries, but they still keep finding ways to win. Friday night, they will be without Glen Davis, who will join Shaquille O'Neal and Delonte West on the shelf when they take on the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden.
Davis strained the patella tendon in his knee going up for a dunk late in Wednesday night's win over Phoenix but an MRI taken Thursday showed just patellar tendinitis and Davis should only miss about a week of action. His absence should mean more time for newcomers Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy and Jeff Green. But there will be a bit more of a burden on the Celts Big Four, especially if the game is close in the late going.
The C's beat these same Warriors just last week out in Oakland, turning a 60-60 halftime score into a 115-93 blowout win. Forward Kevin Garnett put up 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in that game, and is coming off a 28 point, 11 board performance in the win over the Suns. That scoring output on Wednesday was his largest in almost three full years. The Celts are 32-6 over the past three seasons when Garnett scores 19 or more.
The loss to Boston last week sent the Warriors spinning into a four-game losing streak, but they broke it on Wednesday night against the Wizards in Washington, and will be looking to win their second straight tonight. Golden State got 29 points from Stephen Curry in that win over Washington, but will need more from leading scorer Monta Ellis, who has averaged just 17 points per game on 36 percent shooting since the All-Star break.
The undermanned Celtics (44-15) will look to win their fourth straight and seventh out of eight against the Golden State Warriors (27-33) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST, on Comcast Sports Net New England.