Robb: Celtics Hoping For Good News On Jae Crowder's Sprained Ankle
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's no coincidence that the Celtics' best stretch of basketball during the 2015-16 season has coincided with the good fortune of a healthy roster. Boston has gone 20-9 since Avery Bradley returned from a hip injury on Jan. 10, largely with a lineup that has remained intact on a nightly basis.
Kelly Olynyk has been sidelined for the past few weeks with a separated shoulder, but Boston's other core pieces been able to stay on the floor every night during that stretch, catapulting the Celtics to the No. 3 seed in the East.
That run came to an end Friday night against the Houston Rockets when Jae Crowder went down with a sprained right ankle in the second half of the 102-98 defeat.
"I was on a fast break, and I came down in an awkward way," Crowder explained postgame. "I got up and I didn't feel good. Come to find out I just sprained it. High ankle sprain."
Brad Stevens provided some encouraging details about Crowder's status in his postgame press conference.
"He doesn't have much swelling right now so it looks good," Stevens said. "They're going to do an MRI on it [Saturday] and figure out if there's anything above what they think right now. But I got mostly positive vibes as I was talking to him and then also to our doctors and trainers that it won't be a long-term thing. But we'll see. We'll know more [Saturday]."
Without Crowder in the fold, Rockets forward Michael Beasley exploded against an undermanned Celtics' defense, scoring 18 points in just 15 minutes off the bench, many of which came in the second half.
That kind of outburst showed Crowder's value to a Celtics' defense that is excels most when it's playing small-ball with the 25-year-old at the four. Without the veteran swingman at its disposal, Boston was left vulnerable on that front, given its limited depth on the wing.
"Jae's a huge part of our team," Sullinger explained. "He's like the glue, and when he went down it was tough. But at the same time we have someone like Marcus Smart who can guard bigger players. We've seen it, he's proven it, we can't make excuses. They flat out beat us."
Isaiah Thomas echoed Sullinger's sentiments on Crowder: "[His injury] affects us because [Crowder's] a big part of this team. We need a guy like that out there. At the end of the day when something like that happens, someone else has to step up and step into his shoes. It's just we fell short today."
With a tough stretch looming next week that include matchups against the Pacers, Thunder and Raptors, it will be tough for the Celtics to overcome Crowder's absence and stay on pace for home court advantage in the East. Three offdays arrive at the right time for Boston before Tuesday's showdown with Indiana, but if Crowder's injury is worse than anticipated, the Celtics' depth will be put to the test over the next couple weeks.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.