Crowder Records Double-Double In Return To Celtics
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- It didn't take long for Jae Crowder to make his presence felt in his return.
The Celtics forward, who missed eight games with a high ankle sprain, returned Thursday night in Portland and had an immediate impact for Boston. While the Celtics lost 116-109, and dropped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, Crowder finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds over 34:35 of playing time.
Despite the loss, Crowder said it was great to get back into the fold.
"It felt great," Crowder told reporters after the game. "To be honest with you I was just happy to be out there fighting with those guys and going to war with those guys. It was everything I expected, I guess, despite the loss."
Crowder got the start for Boston and didn't show much rust in the opening minutes of the game. He pulled down the first miss of the contest just 19 seconds in, and assisted on Boston's first hoop of the game: A 3-pointer by Isaiah Thomas. In his seven minutes in the first quarter, Crowder scored two points, pulled down three rebounds and had a steal.
He was on the floor as the Celtics fell apart in the fourth quarter, but hit a big 3-pointer with 1:08 left to put Boston ahead by a point. That lead didn't hold, as C.J. McCollum hit a fadeway out of a Blazers timeout just three seconds later to reclaim the lead and Al-Farouq Aminu turned a Thomas turnover into an easy dunk to put Portland ahead 112-109.
The loss certainly hurts Boston's hopes to claim home court advantage for a round in the playoffs, but having Crowder back -- and playing efficiently -- is huge for Brad Stevens and his squad. Stevens had his full team together for the first time since the All-Star break, and Crowder's returned allowed Evan Turner to come off the bench and give Boston's second unit the spark he's provided all season.
While Crowder won't play Friday night against Golden State, he shouldn't be limited for much longer. That should only make things better for Boston as games become more and more important down the stretch.
