Six Boston Celtics players will sit out the reigning champions’ 7-1 duel against their 2022 NBA Finals opponent, the 6-1 Golden State Warriors, on Wednesday night. Both teams have only lost one game before this duel. That will change soon.

As previously announced, All-Star Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown will miss the third straight game with a left hip flexor strain. The 2024 Finals MVP, three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA honoree, appears to be well on his way to another successful NBA season at age 28. He has a .400/.267/.809 average of 25.7 points. In his six healthy appearances, he posted splits, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per night.

Read more: Jaylen Brown’s status confirmed ahead of Warriors game

According to the league’s latest injury report, Brown will be joined by fellow All-Star starter (if healthy) Kristaps Porzingis, who will be out until at least 2025 as he rehabs his surgically enlarged left posterior tibialis tendon. Four other Celtics belong to the club’s G League affiliate squad, the Maine Celtics (though some of us will never forgive them for changing their nickname from the much funnier name “Maine Red Claws”): the two-way players JD Davison, Drew Peterson and Anton Watson, as well as rookie shooting guard Baylor Scheierman, who is tasked with getting an extra run instead of sitting on the bench all night in Boston.

The Celtics selected Scheierman after an All-American Third Team season at Creighton in 2023-24, with the No. 30 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-2 swingman has logged point minutes in just three games for Boston for use. He averages 1.3 points and 1.3 boards over 6.0 minutes per game.

On the Warriors’ side, oft-injured newcomer De’Anthony Melton is injured again, this time with a right lower back strain, and will miss the contest. The 6-foot-2 former USC combo guard, 26, joined the Warriors this summer on a one-year, $12.8 million sign-and-trade deal. Playing 16.7 minutes per night in his three healthy games with Golden State so far, Melton is averaging 6.3 points on a disappointing slash line of .350/.267/.500, 2.7 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1, 0 steals and 0.7 blocks a night.

2024 All-Rookie Team Warriors second-year guard Brandin Podziemski can play through his broken nose while still wearing a face mask. In his seven contests with the team (three starts – he alternated between the bench and a starting role), the 21-year-old Santa Clara product averaged 9.3 points and hit .378/.182/.500, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per night.

The action begins at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. CT at TD Garden.

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