The Los Angeles Lakers are catching a big break tonight against the Boston Celtics as Al Horford has entered the concussion protocol and will miss the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics will face off tonight at TD Garden. Both teams are looking to keep the good times rolling, as both are coming into the game on a winning streak.
The Lakers enter tonight’s matchup riding a two-game winning streak. Boston is currently the hottest team in the NBA, winning nine consecutive games. This once great rivalry has been dormant for years, but with all the young talent and improving teams, it could pick up again.
Tonight, the Lakers will be catching a big break. Celtics All-Star center, Al Horford, has been ruled out of the game because he has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol.
According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN, the symptoms didn’t pop up until Wednesday morning. It is believed that the concussion occurred in Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
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As Forsberg states, Horford was elbowed in the head in the second quarter of the game. Horford was struck in the head by Kent Bazemore, who hit him with his forearm. Horford stayed on the ground but remained on the floor for a little while.
Horford ended up playing 33 minutes in the game. The Celtics said that Horford did not exhibit any concussion-like symptoms during the game or immediately after. However, this is not the first time that Horford has dealt with a concussion in his career. Last season, Horford missed nine games because of a concussion.
Horford being sidelined is a big blow for the Celtics. He has been playing very well this season, averaging 14.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists. That will be difficult to replace in the lineup.
With Horford sidelined, Aron Baynes could find his way into the starting lineup. The Celtics are already undersized and struggle to rebound, so losing Horford will make things even more difficult.
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That gives a big edge to the much-improved rebounding Lakers. Los Angeles is rebounding much better this season than last season. Brook Lopez is as good an offensive center as any in the NBA, so he should have an edge tonight going up against Baynes instead of Horford.