Two Eastern Conference giants are all set to clash on Christmas Day. The Brooklyn Nets will visit the TD Garden and take on the Boston Celtics at 5 pm ET. It will be a blockbuster for various reasons, and the limelight will be on Kyrie Irving when the players come out on the court.

It will mark Kyrie’s return to Boston, and one could hope for him to put up a sensational performance. There are several aspects to look into, but before that, let’s take a look at the injury updates and lineup predictions. 

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets – Preview and Lineups

Both teams started off their 2021 campaign with a solid win. While the Nets are favored to win against the Celtics, the latter will attempt to pull off an upset from down under. However, the Celtics are hindered by a major injury. 

Boston Celtics Injury Update

Kemba Walker will sit out due to knee problems, something which is a major concern for the Celtics. Furthermore, 7’5” Tacko Fall and sophomore Romeo Langford will also miss their team’s second game of the season. 

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While the exclusion of the other two won’t play a huge role, Kemba Walker will be dearly missed on the court. Christmas Day games carry a lot of hype and the team would certainly do well if they had the experience of Walker running the lines on the court. 

Possible Lineup

Marcus Smart (G)

Jaylen Brown (G)

Jayson Tatum (F)

Daniel Theis (F)

Tristan Thompson (C) 

Brooklyn Nets Injury Update

The Nets have a healthy roster ahead of the Celtics game after they were crippled for most of the 2020 season. 21-year-old Nicolas Claxton is the only listed Nets player who is out of the game due to injury. 

The rest of the roster is good to play and they’ll be raring to go out and get their second win of the season. Brooklyn has turned into a powerhouse due to Kevin Durant and Irving’s return, and it would be interesting to see how they match up against a tough Boston team.

Possible Lineup

Kyrie Irving (G)

Spencer Dinwiddie (G)

Joe Harris (F)

Kevin Durant (F)

DeAndre Jordan (C) 

Predictions

This game will undoubtedly be an exciting watch for the fans. Primarily, the matchup between Irving and Marcus Smart will be a crackling one, as the latter is quite a tough defender to play against. Hence, Irving will have his hands full on Christmas Day. 

Furthermore, the young guns in Boston are determined to go big this season, and Tatum’s stunning winner in their opening game is a testament to their hard work. They were impressive last season and are clearly capable of pulling off big upsets.

But their opponents on the other end aren’t too kind either. Two of the best athletes in the NBA play for the Nets and Durant is looking in good shape upon making his return to the league. Every stage is a chance for Durant to cement his position, and he’d want to make use of it against the Celtics as well. 

The game could end either way, and it is really difficult to predict a winner. But if experience plays a big part during Christmas Day games, then the Brooklyn Nets would be running away with the win when they take on the Boston Celtics. 

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