Celtics Rule Out Daniel Theis For Tuesday's Game Against Nuggets
BOSTON (CBS) -- Daniel Theis will not have an opportunity to foul out during Tuesday night's Celtics-Nuggets clash in Boston. The C's big man was deemed "questionable" for the tilt on Monday's injury report, but has now been downgraded to "out" with a sprained finger.
The injury, which Theis suffered in Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Washington Wizards, comes at a bad time for the Celtics. Boston will now have to deal with one of the NBA's best players, Nikola Jokic, without the team's most consistent big man. Jokic is averaging 26.5 points per game this season, 14.3 of which come inside the paint.
Without Theis, who was averaging 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds for Boston over 26 games, the Celtics will likely turn to Tristan Thompson in the starting five. Thompson has been an underwhelming addition this season, averaging just 6.6 points while leading Boston at 8.2 rebounds per game, but will have a big opportunity to step up Tuesday night.
Robert Williams and Grant Williams are also in line for more minutes Tuesday night, as the Celtics look to shake off a two-game skid. Boston has lost 10 of its last 15 games to slide to .500 on the season at 13-13. The Nuggets have won three straight heading into Tuesday night's game.