BOSTON — Avery Bradley will not be on the court Wednesday as the Celtics wrap up their regular season.
Bradley suffered what the team called a left quad contusion late in the second quarter of Tuesday’s 95-93 win over the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. The guard started the second half but left just two minutes in and did not return.
Head coach Brad Stevens said after the game that Bradley would not play in the Celtics’ final regular-season game, a matchup with the Bucks in Milwaukee.
“He got bumped above the knee, kind of in the quad,” Stevens explained. “He was a little stiff coming out at halftime, and (Celtics trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) actually told me to take him out at the (10)-minute mark of the third quarter and he just took him back. I have not talked to Avery directly, but everybody that I’ve talked to says he’s fine. He will not play (Wednesday), though.”
Bradley’s unlikely to be the only Celtics starter to sit out Wednesday’s game, as Stevens said he plans to rest some players in preparation for the playoffs.
“We’ll go deep into our bench,” the coach said. “That was kind of the plan of attack anyway.”
Bradley’s injury came at the end of a strong second quarter, as he racked up 14 points in the frame on 5-of-8 shooting. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be back in time for the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which will begin this weekend on a date to be determined.
Some additional notes from Tuesday night:
— Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of John Havlicek’s legendary steal in the 1965 playoffs. The Celtics honored the Hall of Famer with an on-court ceremony between the first and second quarters.
— The Celtics and Sacramento Kings will play a regular-season game in Mexico City on Dec. 3, the NBA announced Monday.
— Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas on Monday was announced as Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time in two months. Thomas averaged 22.7 points and 5.7 assists over three games last week for the C’s — all wins.
Thomas finished with 11 points and six assists Tuesday.
— The award for Tweet of the Night goes to Celtics forward Luigi Datome, whose legend grows by the day.
[tweet https://twitter.com/GigiDatome/status/588186104182005760 align=’center’]
— Raptors coach Dwane Casey before the game spoke about how the Celtics remind him of a college team. He was far from the first to make that comparison this season.
“Playing hard, running through the wall, and they’re relentless,” Casey said. “Brad has them playing at a high level at both ends of the floor. … If you don’t match their intensity, then you’re in trouble. And that’s what’s gotten them to where they are now.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
