Bradley Beal Says He Won't Be At 100 Percent For Play-In Game Vs. Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- With a play-in game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics will be hosting one of the hottest teams in the NBA with one of the most talented scorers in the league in Bradley Beal. It figures to be a tough matchup for a Boston team that had a knack for letting opposing stars go off on scoring sprees during the regular season.
And Beal certainly did that in two of his three games against Boston, scoring over 40 points on two different occasions against the Celtics. For the season, he averaged 40.7 points off 55.3 percent shooting in his three games against Boston.
None of that bodes well for Tuesday night's game, but Beal also won't be at 100 percent for the showdown. The professional bucket-getter is still nursing a hamstring strain that kept him out of three of Washington's final four games, though he was able to play through it during Sunday's must-win game over the Charlotte Hornets.
"There was no setback, which is good. I didn't injure it worse than it was. Obviously, it probably won't be 100 percent," Beal said Monday. "It's just a matter of managing it the best I can."
Beal was rusty to start Sunday's game, going 4-for-17 in the first half, but he finished with 13 points in the fourth quarter and 25 for the game. Hopefully, the Celtics don't see Beal's comments on Monday and take them as an excuse to ease off on defense. Even though he may not be 100 percent for Tuesday's play-in game, Beal is still going to be a handful for the Boston defense.