Celtics Catching More Breaks After Landslide Win Over Warriors

Things are going so good for the Boston Celtics at the moment that they get a leg up on the competition even when they aren't playing.

The Celtics will look to extend their win streak to 12 Tuesday night in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. The possibility of that happening got a boost Monday with the Cavaliers announcing that star guard Donovan Mitchell will miss the next three games, including the matchup with the Celtics, due to a platelet-rich plasma injection he received to treat a left knee bone bruise.

That wasn’t the only NBA injury news that impacted the Celtics. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday that the Phoenix Suns are "bracing" for star guard Devin Booker to be sidelined seven-to-10 days due to a right ankle sprain. That seemingly would make Booker unavailable Saturday when the Celtics take on the Suns.

Those two injuries put the Celtics in a good position to improve upon their NBA-best 48-12 record, but Boston is also dealing with injuries of its own. Kristaps Porzingis, who missed the beatdown of the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, is still dealing with a left quad contusion and is questionable to face the Cavaliers. Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who made the Warriors pay for a puzzling defensive strategy, was a new addition to the injury report and is questionable against the Cavaliers due to a left knee contusion.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Porzingis and Brown sit out Tuesday with a possible NBA Finals preview on tap Thursday when the Celtics take on the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.

The Celtics have done nothing but win over the last month -- their last loss came Feb. 1 -- and certainly don't need opponents to be at less than full strength to help them remain in the win column.

But Boston will take it because if the Celtics keep piling up the wins, they have a good chance of wrapping up the Eastern Conference by the end of the month.