The Boston Celtics will be without their starting shooting guard when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The team announced Thursday that Avery Bradley would not travel with the team to New Orleans as he recovers from a left elbow sprain.
Bradley appeared to suffer the injury during the first half of Wednesday’s 85-84 win over the Utah Jazz at TD Garden. He briefly exited into the locker room late in the first quarter with what the team called a left elbow contusion but returned to the court early in the second wearing a protective arm sleeve.
Bradley went on to log 36 minutes in the win — second on the team only to Marcus Smart’s 39 — and finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The team has not commented on Bradley’s status for the remainder of its upcoming road trip. The Celtics visit the Orlando Magic on Sunday and the Miami Heat on Monday before returning home.
Bradley has started 58 of Boston’s 59 games this season, averaging 13.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas are the most likely candidates to fill his spot in the starting lineup.
UPDATE (4:30 p.m. Friday): Head coach Brad Stevens told reporters Friday he expects Bradley to miss all three games of the road trip.
“When he woke up (Thursday) morning, he was really hurting,” Stevens said, via The Boston Globe.
The coach did not confirm who would take Bradley’s spot in the starting five.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
