Celtics' Evan Fournier Out Tuesday Night Vs. 76ers Due To Health And Safety Protocols
BOSTON (CBS) -- Evan Fournier has found his groove with the Celtics. That groove is going to have to wait though, as the guard has been ruled out for Tuesday night's important matchup with the 76ers due to Health & Safety Protocols.
Fournier will likely be out for the foreseeable future, as this doesn't appear to be a contract tracing situation. The shooting guard had come on strong the last two games, scoring 40 points off 13-for-21 shooting in wins over the Rockets and the Hornets. Losing him Tuesday night means Boston will be down one of its best bench scorers against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
"That's been our season. It's unfortunate," Jaylen Brown told reporters Tuesday morning. "It's our been our story, for the most part. Hopefully we can get him back in time and still make a run without him. Let's play some basketball and keep this thing going."
Fournier now joins big man Tristan Thompson as Celtics players who are out because of those protocols. Thompson hasn't played since March 14 as he deals with COVID-19, though at this point, he's in the phase of getting his wind back. The center has been spotted on the Boston bench as of late, so a return shouldn't be too far off.
Fournier wasn't able to debut for the Celtics immediately after being acquired from the Orlando Magic on deadline day because of a false-positive test upon his arrival in Boston.