Celtics center Aron Baynes suffers Grade 2 ankle sprain in loss to Sixers
An awkward tumble took Aron Baynes out of Wednesday’s 118-115 loss to the 76ers, and could leave the Celtics without their physical big man for the foreseeable future, as Baynes has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, according to Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
“What that means, medically, I have no idea,” said Stevens.
Aron Baynes' availability (left ankle) is unknown for the rest of Celtics/Sixers after this play (@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/8465h6CMZb
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 21, 2019
Without the 32-year-old Baynes available, the Celtics were forced to play Al Horford against the Sixers’ Joel Embiid for 35 minutes, while Daniel Theis drew in for almost seven minutes of relief action.
The loss of Baynes could not come at a worse time for the Celtics, either, as the team will move ahead with a traveling back-to-back this weekend against the Hornets in Charlotte and Spurs in Boston.
As for the injury itself, Grade 2 ankle sprains tend to come with a recovery time of at least two weeks, but can sometimes stretch to four or five weeks depending on the severity of the sprain. That could mean that Baynes’ next appearance for the Green will come in the team’s first-round playoff series, which is a tad likelier to start on the road following Wednesday’s loss in Philly.
It’s just another hobbling blow in what’s been an injury-plagued campaign for the Australian center, as he’s already missed 29 games due to various injuries.