ORLANDOBoston Celtics coach confirmed that the C's will be without three starters for tonight's game against the Orlando Magic.
Ray Allen, who is in Boston nursing a left ankle injury, is out along with his backcourt mate Rajon Rondo (right wrist) and center Jermaine O'Neal (left knee).
Avery Bradley will continue to start in place of Rondo, while Mickael Pietrus - he missed Monday's game against Orlando with a shoulder injury - will be in the backcourt.
And replacing O'Neal in the starting lineup will be Brandon Bass, although it's unclear who Bass will match up against initially. Look for Bass to begin the game defending Ryan Anderson while Kevin Garnett will battle Dwight Howard.
C's coach Doc Rivers said the decision to have Bass with the starting unit was easy.
"Playing the way we played the other night, you know they're going to come in with a lot of energy. You want to put in your five best healthy bodies to start the game," Rivers said. "And after that, figure it out."
Rivers also said that Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox will see action as well, although Rivers said Wilcox probably shouldn't be on the floor now.
"Honestly, we don't have enough bigs," Rivers said. "So we needed another body."