The Boston Celtics not only lost Game 5 on Tuesday night, they lost their top player as a result.
All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas suffered a mild left ankle sprain during a drive to the basket in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter with the team trailing by 29 points.
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Isaiah Thomas lands awkwardly on ankle, jogs to locker room pic.twitter.com/DJGmVi4ssB
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) April 27, 2016
Thomas joins Stephen Curry and Chris Paul on the list of point guards with injuries sustained in the 2016 playoffs.
With the Celtics now trailing the series 3-2, the injury becomes a concern as Boston heads back home for Game 6.
Article Continues BelowCoach Brad Stevens spoke about the injury after the game:
"He'll get treatment tomorrow and… go from there." Stevens on Thomas
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) April 27, 2016
While the injury doesn't appear to be serious, any sort of ailment that will slow down Thomas is worrisome. The 5'9″ guard entered Game 5 having averaged 28.3 points per game this series, including a 42-point Game 3 performance. The Celtics' next leading scorer in the series is Evan Turner, who is averaging 14.0 points per contest entering Game 5.
With Avery Bradley also sidelined due to injury, Boston will be short-handed as they look to extend the series when they host Game 6 on Thursday night.