By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Boston Celtics announced via Twitter Tuesday afternoon that forward Gordon Hayward is expected to miss about a month. Hayward sprained his ankle in the C’s Game One Monday night win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is still possible Hayward could return for the conference finals if the Celtics are still playing. However, he was planning to leave the NBA’s bubble around that time for the birth of his daughter, meaning Boston could be without him for up to five weeks, and may need to make the NBA Finals to get him back.
Hayward averaged 18.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game for the Celtics in the bubble’s seeding games, and scored 12 last night. He ranks third in scoring and first in rebounding for Boston since the restart.
Without Hayward, the Celtics will likely move Marcus Smart into the starting lineup. Semi Ojeleye and rookie Romeo Langford could see more minutes off the bench.
The Celtics return to the floor Wednesday for Game Two against Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. You can catch Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell on the call with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. on 105.7 WROR.
