Celtics to play Heat with eight players due to COVID-19 issues

The Boston Celtics will be missing a significant amount of their roster when they take on the Miami Heat on Sunday night.

The Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Tristan Thompson, Javonte Green, Romeo Langford, Semi Ojeleye, Grant Williams, Robert Williams and Kemba Walker. 

Tatum and Robert Williams will miss an extended period of time after testing positive for COVID-19 this past week. Grant Williams, Thompson, Brown, Ojeleye and Green are out due to health and safety protocols. 

Meanwhile, Walker hasn't played a game this season due to lingering knee issues and Langford is out after undergoing wrist surgery. 

Boston has won its last four games, but it seems like that winning streak could come to an end on Sunday night. The only players available for the Celtics are Tacko Fall, Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith, Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, Tremont Waters, Carsen Edwards and Jeff Teague. 

The Philadelphia 76ers encountered a similar issue earlier this week, facing the Denver Nuggets with most of their roster unavailable after Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19.