Marcus Smart 'Probable' Against Pistons
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics have lost five straight, but it looks like they'll be getting a bit of a boost for Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons.
Injured guard Marcus Smart, who missed the last 10 games with a severe ankle sprain and bone bruise, has been upgraded to "probable" for Wednesday night.
Smart suffered the injury back on November 7 against the Indiana Pacers when he awkwardly stepped on a defender's foot while driving to the basket.
He attempted to return to practice last week, but had to remove himself from Wednesday's session when the ankle started to bother him. Smart was a full participant in Saturday's team practice, though he didn't take part in the 5-on-5 scrimmage portion, and he remained in Boston for Tuesday's game in Atlanta.
Read: Celtics-Pistons Preview
It's unclear how much Smart will play when he returns, but it's likely that Brad Stevens and company will take it easy with the No. 6 overall pick in June's draft, given the hurdles the injury caused over the last few weeks. It would be a shame to get Smart back, only to lose him again due to lingering issues with the ankle.
In the five games he played in before suffering the injury Smart averaged 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, averaging 20.8 minutes off the bench for the Celtics. He's shooting just 31-percent (and an awful 24-percent from three-point range), but his return to the floor should help Boston's anemic defense -- which is allowing 107.7 points per game.
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