Come hell or high water, Isaiah Thomas seemingly is going to find a way to play Thursday.
The Boston Celtics All-Star point guard sprained his left ankle at the beginning of the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s blowout 110-83 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The team was trailing by 31 points at the time of the injury, prompting a bit of criticism of coach Brad Stevens as to why Thomas was even in the game to begin with.
But with the Hawks up three games to two, Game 6 suddenly is a win-or-go-home situation for the C’s. Thomas certainly expects to play if his postgame comments are any indication. Wednesday, Stevens seemed optimistic those thoughts were on target.
“Every update I’ve gotten is positive,” Stevens said Wednesday afternoon during a conference call, via ESPN Boston. “Isaiah seems really positive about it, feels good. I’m sure they’ll take extra looks at it now that we’ve arrived home, but the swelling wasn’t bad and he feels good. So all signs point toward him being ready to go (in Game 6).”
Stevens also provided a pseudo-update on guard Avery Bradley, who was lost in Game 1 with a hamstring injury. His outlook was more bleak.
The Celtics already have proven they can defeat the Hawks with Bradley sidelined. But unless they want to be cleaning out their lockers on Friday, they’ll have to hope Thomas is more than just able to play. They’re going to need Isaiah Thomas the All-Star — and everyone’s All-Star-esque efforts, really — if they have any plans to advance.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images
