The Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, but got bad news on Tuesday after learning that one of their stars will miss the next four weeks thanks to an injury he picked up in the win.
Gordon Hayward, who was forced to exit the Celtics’ 109-101 win in the fourth quarter after getting tangled up with teammate Daniel Theis on a rebound, was diagnosed with a Grade III right ankle sprain.
This means that he will not be able to return for Boston until the Conference Finals at earliest.
In the short term, however, Hayward’s injury puts a sharp dent in the Celtics’ hopes to go deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs. While they hold a 1-0 lead over Philly, it will become harder than ever to get past their talented opposition in the first round without Hayward.
If they are able to advance, either the Toronto Raptors or the Brooklyn Nets would be waiting for them in the next round, where Boston would undoubtedly be hurt by missing Hayward’s 17.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The 30-year-old star will now have to look to rehabilitate his injury in order to return as quickly as possible if his team is able to survive and advance without him.
