It shouldn’t come as a shock, but center Robert Williams will be available to play for the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
Williams, who has been day-to-day throughout the finals due to left knee soreness, will start and won’t be on a minutes restriction for the contest, Celtics coach Ime Udoka told reporters prior to Game 5.
For Williams, he will play in his eighth straight postseason game after missing six of Boston’s first 11 games to start the playoffs. Williams has played through pain throughout the postseason since coming back from meniscus surgery he had in late March.
While Williams has come into every game of the finals listed as questionable, his status for a pivotal Game 5 seemed to be a little more in doubt after he tweaked his ailing knee in Boston’s Game 4 loss, in which he played a postseason-high 31 minutes.
“He did not do a specific thing, so doesn’t know when it happened,” Udoka told reporters during his media availability on Sunday. “He just sprinted up and down one time after one possession, and it was bothering him a little bit and that’s why he asked to come out. So, not a specific incident. We watched the film and nothing stood out there. Obviously, (the injury) led to the blow by with (Steph) Curry where he couldn’t move great on that possession.”
Williams being fully available is surely a key for the Celtics with the Time Lord proving to be quite the defensive presence in the series. Williams has averaged 3.0 blocks to go along with 6.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Williams will look to have a similar impact in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors, which tips off from the Chase Center at 9 p.m. ET on Monday.
