On Saturday, April 16, Boston Celtics’ second-leading scorer, Avery Bradley, fell to the floor in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the series against the Atlanta Hawks, apparently because of a hamstring injury.
Bradley could be back soon or out for the rest of the series. USA Today reports the Boston guard would go for a test Sunday [April 17] morning. He also anticipated having treatment through the night.
“I just want to get treatment and take it day by day and hopefully I can be back by next game,” Bradley explained. “I’m not worried at all, I have faith, I know my teammates and people are praying for me.”
Bradley left the game after scoring 18 points in 33 minutes in Boston’s 102-101 loss to the Hawks. He was not, however, the only one injured last night. Boston guard Marcus Smart returned to the court with a black wrap on his left hand. Big man, Kelly Olynyk, had his shoulder dinged and played just 12 minutes.
“We took one with Avery, the rest of those guys will be ready to play, we don’t know about Avery,” Jae Crowder stated to the media. “Hamstring is nothing to play with. He’s a fast type of guy, so he needs his hamstring as much as possible.”
It’s unclear if Bradley’s injury will be a deciding factor for the fate of the Celtics in the series. The team may need to rely on reserve guards Evan Turner and Smart. Turner made four of 13 shots in Game 1 while Smart made five of 10.
Game 2 is Tuesday, April 19 at Philips Arena.
