Boston Celtics Injury Report (Dec. 20): Latest on Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet's status

The Boston Celtics' injury report for their game against the Sacramento Kings tonight could be worrisome. The Celtics are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) and Luke Kornet (thigh injury) were the only absentees.

Porzingis was a game-time decision. He was questionable entering the contest. He will play tonight against the Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, Kornet could remain sidelined with a thigh injury. He is expected to return after Dec. 23rd, per CBS. Al Horford has been listed as out citing rest on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Celtics will have Jayson Tatum make tonight's injury report. Tatum is also out. He sustained a gruesome ankle injury against the Warriors on Wednesday, which saw him limp out of the game.

He returned shortly, but Tatum looked off-color. He had lost his explosiveness and was hesitant to attack after the injury. He looked a step slower on defense, too. Tatum also commented on the injury after the game, saying the ankle bothered him, making it 'tougher to move.'

Here's the Boston Celtics' expected injury report for tonight's game vs Sacramento:

Player	Injury	Status
Al Horford	Rest	Out
Jayson Tatum	Ankle sprain	Out
Luke Kornet	Thigh injury	Out

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How to watch Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings?

The Boston Celtics-Sacramento Kings game will be televised nationally on NBA TV. NBCS Boston and NBCS Sacramento will carry TV coverage in local regions. International fans can catch the game live online on NBA League Pass via subscription.

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New Boston Celtics, same old struggles

The Boston Celtics fumbled the ball against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in a 132-126 loss. The Celtics were in a comfortable position to seal a win up 17 points midway through the third quarter. They were also on the verge of seeing Steph Curry exit the game because of foul trouble.

Curry had five fouls before the fourth quarter began. However, the Celtics couldn't make the most of it. Akin to their issues from over the past two seasons, Boston struggled to close out yet another game that was under their control.

Their execution wasn't there, and missing easy layups wasn't helping their cause either. That allowed an improbable comeback by the team that handed them their 2022 finals loss, inspired by Steph Curry's 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Granted that Boston missed a key piece in Kristaps Porzingis, but they were still up 12 points against an underwhelming Golden State team that's 11th in the West, two games behind the .500 mark before the game.

The Celtics will hope they can rework their issues and get back in the win column with a bounce back against the Kings.