Paul Pierce, the longtime Celtic now with the Brooklyn Nets, told reporters on Monday that there is a “good chance” he could suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Celtics despite a broken bone in his right hand. If so, he would more than cut in half the original prognosis for his return.
Pierce broke his hand in a loss to Houston on Nov. 29 and was expected to miss up to four weeks and to definitely miss his first regular-season meeting with his former team. Tuesday’s game against the Celtics would mark the 10-day mark since his injury.
“There’s a good chance,” Pierce said, according to Jay King of MassLive.com. “It felt good — didn’t really get tested [in practice] like I’d like it to get tested, where I get a hit. But I thought I shot the ball really well, got up and down the court pretty good in practice.”
Pierce, 36, is averaging a career-low 12.4 points per game this season for the 6-14 Nets. He played 15 seasons with the Celtics, averaging 21.8 points per game and winning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors while leading the Celtics to the 2008 championship.