Celtics Injury News: What's Kyrie Irving, Al Horford And Jayson Tatum's Status vs. Brooklyn Nets?

The Brooklyn Nets (38-38), looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015, host a Boston Celtics (45-31) squad Saturday that will be missing at least two key players.

Kyrie Irving (back) and Al Horford (knee) will both be unavailable, while Jayson Tatum is considered questionable with an unspecified illness.

The trio accounts for three of Boston's four leading scorers. Irving (23.9 points per game) has played in 63 games this season, Horford (13.4 ppg) has played in 64 and Tatum (15.9 ppg) has played in 74.

Both Irving and Horford played 35 minutes Friday, while Tatum played 24 minutes, in a win over the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics and Pacers share the same record, though Boston has an edge in the tiebreaker.

With six games remaining, the Celtics currently hold the No. 4 in the East, while the Nets have a tenuous hold on a playoff berth with the No. 7 seed.

The Nets are coming off back-to-back losses in their quest for a playoff berth. Brooklyn is a half-game behind the Detroit Pistons and a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat. The Orlando Magic are just one game behind the Nets.

Both the Celtics and Nets have tough schedules. Brooklyn's upcoming games include two games against the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as a home game against the Toronto Raptors. The Nets close out the season against the Pacers and Heat.

Boston has back-to-back games against the Heat, followed by a road game against the Pacers. The Celtics end the season against the Magic and the Washington Wizards.