The Boston Celtics will be without one of their most important players when they try to beat the best team in the NBA.
Jae Crowder will sit out Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to “rest,” the team announced in the afternoon.
Crowder, who missed eight games because of a high ankle sprain, finally returned to the court in Thursday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in his first game action since March 11 and appeared to look no worse for wear.
Yet Celtics coach Brad Stevens said before that contest that he didn’t want to play Crowder in both games of the team’s back-to-back, even if that meant holding his starting swingman out of potentially historic matchup with the Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Crowder expressed his desire after Thursday’s game to play Friday even if his ankle was a little sore, citing the need to regain his stamina entering the postseason.
But the Celtics appear to be taking the cautious approach with the 25-year-old, opting to ease him back into game action rather than thrust him into what should be a very fast-paced contest against the highest-scoring team in the league.
Thumbnail photo by Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
