Boston Celtics Face Early Injury Scares In Their NBA Bubble Playoffs Campaign

Boston Celtics delivered the very first blow and registered a victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shone bright in the Celtics’ victory, Gordon Hayward suffered a nasty ankle twist, which forced him out of the game. 

Boston was leading 10-points when Hayward was battling with Embiid on the rim for a defensive rebound. When Hayward made it back to the ground, his right leg did not really make a smooth landing. 

After a heavy-contest with Embiid, Gordon Hayward had a nasty grounding on his right foot, as he twisted it by applying too much force. After suffering the painful twist, Hayward was limping in pain and had to be helped to get off-the-court.  

With about three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Hayward was subbed off as he limped his way to the bench. Following his switch, the commentators reported that Gordon Hayward suffered a right ankle sprain after his dangerous landing. 

Coach Brad Stevens commented on Hawayrd’s situation, saying “he’s clearly in pain” and informed that his ankle’s already swollen up. Malika Andrews of ESPN reported that 30-year-old Hawayrd will undergo an MRI on his sprained ankle.

His fall was so bad that he had to leave the arena on crutches. It was certainly a bad fall, which could remind fans of the one he suffered on his Celtics debut in 2017, which dislocated his ankle. We hope Hayward recovers soon and in time for Game 2. 

Jaylen Brown gave the Boston Celtics fans a brief scare 

Joel Embiid proved to be a difficult matchup for every Celtic player on the night. He dominated on the rim with his physicality. On one such display, Embiid accidentally hit Jaylen Brown on his quadriceps, which severely hurt the Celtics player. 

Embiid drove to the rim to make a layup, when Brown challenged him with a block. During the process, Brown’s quads were met by Embiid’s thundering knee, hitting him with heavy force. The Celtics star was in visible pain, unable to carry on with a forceful blow to his quads. 

The Celtics immediately took out Brown, who was then provided treatment on the sidelines early in the third quarter. After some stretching and a bit of cardio cycling, Jaylen Brown got back his strength to return to the court. 

But there were instances in which he didn’t look completely all right with his leg. However, he put on a brilliant performance in the game, scoring 29.0 points in the Celtics’ eight-point victory over the 76ers. Brown shot 9-16 from the field and went 5-8 from the three-point range.