BOSTON — The Celtics enjoyed one of their best first-half performances of their postseason Thursday, but received some rough news prior to the game’s finish.
Malcolm Brogdon, who entered the contest nursing a reported partial tear in the tendon from his right elbow to forearm, was ruled doubtful to return due to forearm soreness in the third quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The status of “doubtful” likely is good news for Celtics fans, as Brogdon’s departure from the game presumably comes because Boston held an 18-point lead entering the final quarter. The 30-year-old did not score in his eight minutes on the court, going 0-for-2 from beyond the arc and failing to put up any numbers in the box score.
Payton Pritchard received some third-quarter run in Brogdon’s absence, his first minutes in two games.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla expressed that he was “grateful” for Brogdon’s willingness to fight through the injury, despite a severe drop in productivity from the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. His status for a possible Game 6 in Miami is certain to be a hot topic of discussion.
