Kyrie Irving to Return vs. Raptors After Missing 3 Games with Quad Injury

The Boston Celtics are only two games ahead of the Toronto Raptors in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference but will reportedly have their offensive go-to guy back for Tuesday's critical head-to-head showdown at the Air Canada Centre.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported Kyrie Irving said he will play against the Raptors.    

Irving hasn't taken the court since Jan. 29 against the Denver Nuggets, missing three games with a right quadriceps injury.

Fortunately for Boston, it won all three contests during Irving's absence, extending its winning streak to four after a rough stretch in which it went 1-5 in its previous six games.

Irving has been excellent in his first season with the Celtics after they acquired him via trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers for a package that included Isaiah Thomas. The Duke product is averaging 24.9 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game behind a career-best 48.6 percent shooting clip from the field.

He is also shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range and has no trouble blowing past defenders with his slick ball-handling skills when they press up on his perimeter game.

It is difficult to live up to Irving's standard, but Terry Rozier played admirably in his absence. He notched a triple-double in a win over the New York Knicks and followed that with 31 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Rozier figures to remain an important part of the rotation given his elevated play even though Irving is back to battle with Kyle Lowry as the Celtics and Raptors jostle for positioning before the stretch run.