It looks like it will be the "Hospital Celtics" going against the Bucks on Tuesday night

BOSTON -- Two of the best teams in the NBA are meeting up Tuesday night. But the Celtics will not look like the Celtics when they visit the Bucks.

It looks like only a handful of Celtics regulars will take the floor when Boston looks to extend its four-game winning streak -- and end Milwaukee's 10-game winning streak. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart will both miss Tuesday's contest, and Jayson Tatum -- after being listed as doubtful on Monday -- has now been ruled out with a non-COVID illness.

There was some slight hope that maybe a masked Brown (fractured face) and Smart (sprained ankle) would sneak in a game before the All-Star break, but that likely won't happen anymore. Tatum was set to sit out Wednesday night against the Pistons before heading to Utah for the All-Star festivities, but his illness has changed those plans.

Tatum could certainly use the rest considering he's played 2,017 minutes this season, the fourth-most in the league. Maybe a night off (or two, depending on what happens Wednesday) will help him snap his current shooting slump whenever he does return to action.

In addition to that aforementioned trio, Al Horford (right knee) and Robert Williams (left ankle soreness) are both questionable for Tuesday night. So there's a chance the Celtics could be without their full starting five against the Bucks.

So who will be playing against Giannis and the mighty Bucks on Tuesday? Grant Williams was upgraded to available Tuesday afternoon, and Malcolm Brogdon is expected to play after sitting out Sunday's win over the Grizzlies with right Achilles soreness. Derrick White will have a golden opportunity to continue his torrid stretch, which earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday.

Guys like Payton Pritchard and newcomer Mike Muscala should get some extended run, while Sam Hauser will look to keep up his hot shooting, though that will be slightly more difficult without Tatum drawing so much defensive attention. 

But without Tatum, along with Brown and Smart, Tuesday night's matchup will lack some serious firepower from Boston's end. Even though it's a mid-February meeting, Celtics-Bucks is a marquee matchup. Now, it's just a slightly meaningless game ahead of the All-Star break. (Unless, of course, the "hospital Celtics" win. Then we'll overreact with euphoria.)

No matter what happens Tuesday night, the Celtics will remain in first place in the East. At 41-16, Boston owns a 1.5 game lead over the 39-17 Bucks heading into Tuesday's tilt. The Celtics beat the Bucks in Boston on Christmas Day, and the two teams are set to meet for a third and final time in the regular season in Milwaukee on March 30.