Rondo (back), Allen (ankle), Pietrus (knee) all out vs. Magic

Celtics coach Doc Rivers confirmed prior to the Celtics-Magic game that Rajon Rondo (back), Ray Allen (ankle), and Mickael Pietrus (knee) will all miss the game.

Rondo fell hard on his back after a collision with the Knicks' Tyson Chandler under the basket. He was getting work done on his back during the Knicks game, and had it heavily wrapped after.

"Just bruise, whatever you want to call it," Rivers said. "He has spasms, which we thought would occur. I would guess probably out tonight for sure, and and maybe the next game."

This isn't one of those we'll-sit-them-to-be-safe type of DNP's either for all three of the players. If this was Game 1 of the playoffs, none of them would be able to play.

"Don't know the answer to that," he said. "I would say no tonight. I would say all three could not play tonight if there was playoffs."

The Allen news wasn't good either, as the ankle continues to be an issue.

"No [progress], none at all really," Rivers said. "So that's becoming obviously troublesome for us. I don't think he'll play Friday, we've already pretty much determined that as well. After that, we have three or four days, so maybe by the Miami game we can get him back.

We've seen this type of thing before from the Celtics and their medical staff. What starts off as what we're told is a minor issue continues to grow... and grow... and grow. With the playoffs just around the corner, there seems to be a real possibility Allen won't be ready to go. But Rivers won't say that much yet.

"No, I haven't thought that far ahead," he said. "I don't think much more than tomorrow, right now. But there's just concern that the ankle is not responding, and, you know, we need him.

Sasha Pavlovic will start at the shooting guard position in play of Avery Bradley, who will fill in for Rajon Rondo. Look for Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels to get some meaningful time as well, with perhaps a touch of E'Twaun Moore, as the C's are in damage control.

Normally, Pietrus would start in place of Allen, but he too has a nagging injury -- his knee. It all started during the three-game stretch.

"We really do believe, he went from not only not playing but not working out to playing right away, and then you do the three games in a row and the knee swelled up," Rivers said. We didn't anticipate that, but obviously if we could do a do-over we probably would have sat him in one of those three games as well."