Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas will miss the remainder of the postseason after aggravating a right hip injury during Friday’s Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics announced Saturday that Thomas suffered a “re-aggravation of a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear” during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Thomas initially injured the hip March 15 against Minnesota and missed the next two games. He aggravated the injury in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards last week.
He sat out the second half of Game 2 vs. Cleveland due to what the team called a hip strain. He missed all six of his field goal attempts and scored just two points in 18 minutes of a 130-86 blowout loss.
Isaiah Thomas first hurt his hip during a March game against Minnesota.
“Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred,” Celtics team physician Dr. Brian McKeon said in a statement. “The swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue.”
The Celtics said Thomas did not accompany the team to Cleveland in advance of Sunday’s Game 3. He is evaluating treatment options.
The Cavaliers lead the best-of-seven series, 2-0.
Thomas didn’t look himself in the Cavaliers series. He shot just 28 percent through six quarters (7 of 25) and was a minus-52. The veteran point guard didn’t have the usual burst going at the basket and struggled to finish near the rim. He missed seven of 10 attempts near the basket.
Before the Celtics ruled Thomas out for the season, teammate Avery Bradley said Friday night it’s hard to lose Boston’s top offensive weapon.
“It’s a blow,” he said. “Isaiah brings a lot to this team, not just with his leadership but his play. Most important, I just hope he’s better. I care about him off the floor. I just hope he’s OK.”
Gerald Green hinted it would have to be something major to keep Thomas off the court.
“I think, for IT not to play, he’d have to have one of his legs cut off or something,” Green said. “Or it’s got to be something real serious.”
Thomas earned All-NBA second-team honors this week after averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists over 33.8 minutes per game during the regular season. His play led the Celtics to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
A day after the Celtics’ playoffs started, Thomas’ sister, Chyna, was killed in a single-vehicle accident on April 15. The Celtics erased a 2-0 first-round deficit to beat the Bulls in the opening round.
In Game 1 against the Wizards, he lost a tooth that required additional surgery. In Game 2, he scored 53 points, including 29 in the fourth quarter and overtime, of a dramatic 129-119 triumph over Washington. The Celtics ended up winning that series in seven games.
Celtics president Danny Ainge praised Thomas in a tweet Saturday, saying that the star guard had a “legendary season.”
Written by Chris Fursberg
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