Boston Celtics center Robert Williams has been ruled out of Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Williams was downgraded due to left knee soreness. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens offered a bit of an update during his pregame video conference.
"He's got a little swelling up around the upper-calf, behind his knee," Stevens said. "We're going to look at him again when we get back to Boston. They don't think it's anything more than day-to-day, but going to make sure. But he's out."
Williams has been a key factor for the Celtics this season. He's averaged 8.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 47 games this season. He has seen a major increase in minutes, too, having played 24:32 or more in nine of the last 10 contests. He started all 10 of the games during that span.
Williams being held out comes after Stevens made it clear the Celtics would rather rest a player than push said player in hopes of obtaining a better seed in the NBA playoffs.
The Boston big man won't be the only one missing the rivalry contest, either. The Lakers will be without both superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, too.
Celtics-Lakers is set to begin at 10 p.m. ET.
