As if the sting of another loss to the Knicks was not enough, the Celtics had to deal with the unwelcome sight of Paul Pierce icing his right ankle on the bench late in Sunday’s game in New York.
Pierce sat out the final 13 minutes of the Celtics’ 108-89 loss with what the team called “soreness” in his ankle. Celtics coach Doc Rivers did not know anything about the severity of the injury, but decided to play it safe with a large deficit and a road game against the Timberwolves ahead.
“I have no idea” about the status of Pierce’s ankle, Rivers told reporters. “He said he was fine.”
Rivers did say that he is likely to rest Pierce on Monday in Minnesota. This is the second-to-last road/road back-to-back the Celtics have this season, with a much easier Miami-Orlando swing coming up next week.
Pierce joins a growing list of Celtics players who are dealing with ankle issues lately. Courtney Lee played 28 minutes Sunday in his second game back from a sprained left ankle, and Kevin Garnett missed his seventh game in the last nine. Garnett’s absences have been for a variety of reasons, but the most recent is due to inflammation in his left ankle.
