Jae Crowder Still Nursing Elbow Injury, Status Uncertain Vs. Cavaliers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jae Crowder didn't rule out playing Wednesday night when the Celtics hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it's looking unlikely after the Boston forward missed practice on Tuesday.
As his teammates hit the floor in Waltham ahead of LeBron James and the Cavaliers' final visit of the regular season, Crowder sat on the sidelines with his left elbow wrapped in ice. He is still nursing the mysterious injury that caused him to leave Sunday's win over the New York Knicks, which he said caused "tingling" in his elbow. He said he's watched Sunday's game twice, and still doesn't know where he suffered the injury.
On Tuesday, his arm was tucked under his sweatshirt as he watched practice. The good news is Crowder's elbow was wrapped in ice and not in a sling, and an MRI revealed no structural damage, much like the X-Ray he underwent Sunday in New York.
#Celtics Jae Crowder said he did do some shooting today despite not practicing.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) April 4, 2017
But the bad news is Crowder is still experiencing something in the elbow, and though he's deemed himself day-to-day, his status for Wednesday's tilt against Cleveland is in limbo.
Crowder's services may not be needed on Wednesday, with the Cavaliers potentially resting LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the second night of a back-to-back. The C's currently hold a half-a-game edge for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, which doesn't seem to be all that important to the Cavaliers at the moment.
But it's never good to have a player like Crowder, an integral part to Boston's success on both sides of the floor, dealing with a mysterious injury this late in the season.