Celtics guard Shane Larkin will miss Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals after leaving Game 4 with a shoulder injury, the team announced today (Twitter link). Larkin, diagnosed with a left shoulder sprain, had his status downgraded in advance of Wednesday night’s game.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said today that the imaging results on Larkin’s ailing shoulder suggested surgery likely won’t be required (Twitter link). However, the veteran guard is still “very, very sore” and will remain sidelined for the “foreseeable future,” according to Stevens.
Larkin, 25, averaged just 14.4 minutes per game in 54 regular season contests for the Celtics this season. However, the team leaned on him a little more heavily early in the postseason, with both Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart on the shelf with injuries of their own. Larkin had continued to play a rotation role in the second round against the Sixers, but now seems unlikely to return for the rest of the series.
With Larkin out, Terry Rozier and Smart figure to shoulder an even greater workload in the Celtics’ backcourt. Boston currently holds a 3-1 lead over Philadelphia in the series.
Dammit !
In related news, Boston will now offer a 10-day contract to their resident Waterboy. He stands 5’6” and weighs 162 pounds, but coach Brad Stevens said “He has a ton of heart.” He’s expected to cover Joel Embiid during this nights matchup.
and he’ll probably shut Emiid down.
The water boys name, Isaiah Thomas:p
Boston As you can wish…