The Boston Celtics listed zero players on their injury report for the third-consecutive game, but head coach Brad Stevens has made it clear that he’s not rushing Kemba Walker back from his knee injury.
The point guard was on a minutes restriction of 20 minutes upon arriving at the NBA bubble in Walt Disney World, which was lifted to 23 minutes ahead of Boston’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Despite the fact the team could have used him when the Celtics blew a 20-point lead against the Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter, Stevens held his ground, keeping Walker sidelined.
But as Boston takes on the Miami Heat on Tuesday in their third seeding game, Stevens has increased Walker’s minutes restriction to a maximum of 26 or 27 minutes.
#NEBHInjuryReport Kemba Walker's minute restriction has risen to 26 or 27 minutes for tonight's game against Miami.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 4, 2020
In a tight seeding battle with the Heat, who are just 2.5 games behind the Celtics for the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, Boston certainly will take anything they can get from their point guard.
