BOSTON -- The Celtics continue to live the short-handed life with Marcus Morris becoming the latest to succumb to the injury bug.
Morris suffered a neck injury in the 115-102 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
- MORE CELTICS - Tommy Heinsohn eager to return to broadcasts
Boston will also be without leading scorer Kyrie Irving (right eye irritation) and Robert Williams III (left groin strain) and Aron Baynes (left fourth metacarpal fracture) tonight when they welcome the Dallas Mavericks to TD Garden.
But for our purposes, let’s focus on what the loss of Morris and Irving means against the Mavs (18-19), currently 10th in the Western Conference.
FEWER MISMATCHES
One of the biggest things Morris has done all season is find matchups in his favor and exploit them quickly. Bigger defenders struggle to keep pace with him when he’s attacking off the dribble or using his ball-handling to create space for a jumper or 3-pointer. And smaller defenders bring out his inner bully-ball side which more often than not, means good things happen for the Celtics.
As for Irving, the five-time All-Star has a decisive advantage against most of the league’s point guards. And with him making a much more conscious effort to defend, he has shown himself to not be nearly as big a liability at that end of the floor as he appeared to be at times when a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
GRIT
When Morris is on the floor, you can count on him bringing a high level of toughness and physicality, regardless of how he’s shooting the ball. The Celtics don’t have anyone in the frontcourt healthy at the moment who provides that specific intangible. And against a team like the Mavericks who have length, rim-runners and some decent switchability options defensively, Morris’ absence might be missed more in terms of the attitude he brings to the floor than whatever he does statistically.
- MORE C'S - Ainge offers insight on trade deadline plan
Irving’s ankle-breaking skills make him a difficult cover for anyone assigned to defend him. Couple that with Irving’s fearless demeanor when it comes to attacking the rim and finishing, it’s a no-brainer that Boston will have its hands full trying to replace those contributions.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
DEPTH TESTED
The talk for most of the lead-up to this season centered around the Celtics' team depth. Well, injuries have put that to the test in ways they clearly did not see coming.
For most of this season, it was Morris making the most of someone else being out which afforded him more playing time. And that increased playing time led to him having a bigger role where he has transitioned from being a key reserve to a valuable starter who has fluctuated between being Boston’s No. 2 and No. 3 scoring option.
Look for Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum to benefit more than anyone from Morris' absence.
As for Irving, Terry Rozier will continue to be the one player Boston turns to when it comes to finding a player to fill in for Irving.
Rozier is best remembered for his exploits in the playoffs last season when he replaced an injured Irving in the starting lineup.
And while he has not been that good this season, Rozier has still shown the ability to rise to the occasion and provide a lift when minutes become plentiful - like now with Irving out.
This season, Rozier is averaging 16 points when in the starting lineup, nearly double his regular-season average.
Boston will lean on the 6-2 guard to help compensate for the loss of Irving, a role that Rozier is more than accustomed to and admittedly looks forward to when the opportunity presents itself.