Marcus Smart had been dealing with a sinus issue that flared up on Sunday in Denver. Ime Udoka anticipates Smart will be OK, but the guard has been ruled out for the second leg of Boston's back-to-back due to the illness.
This will be the first game Smart has missed since Feb. 16 and only his second since his extended absence from mid-to-late-January. In the last game Smart sat out, Derrick White slid into the starting lineup. But with the way Payton Pritchard has played of late, one has to wonder if he'll get the nod against the Thunder.
Robert Williams has also been ruled out Monday to deal with right patella tendinopathy. He missed that same Feb. 16 contest, which led to a start for Grant Williams — who also started in place of Time Lord on Feb. 15.
Of course, the Celtics can afford to play without the pair Monday night. They could probably survive Oklahoma City without one of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown — maybe even both — even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set to play for the 20-51 Thunder.
