The Boston Celtics’ win Wednesday night came at a price.
In the second quarter of Boston’s eventual 107-100 win over the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden, forward Jae Crowder leaped to take a jump shot and came down directly on Rajon Rondo’s foot, awkwardly twisting his right ankle.
Crowder hopped off the court toward the Celtics’ locker room and didn’t return. He was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain, and head coach Brad Stevens said the 26-year-old will miss at least one week.
“Jae sprained his ankle,” Stevens told reporters, via MassLive.com. “That’s all I know. I was told that it would be at least a week and then we’ll see after, but I don’t think we’re into it enough to make an assessment on that timeline. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be back any time soon.”
The Celtics are a little banged up right now, as big man Al Horford also missed Wednesday’s game and won’t play Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a concussion. Guard Marcus Smart missed Boston’s first three games with an ankle injury but made his season debut Wednesday.
Crowder plays a big role for the C’s on both ends of the floor and is averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game after dropping 21 points in the team’s season opener. Stevens could turn to rookie Jaylen Brown and veteran Gerald Green to fill Crowder’s absence at swingman, while the likes of Smart, Avery Bradley and Jonas Jerebko also could see a spike in minutes.
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
