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Ainge: Isaiah Thomas 'Maybe A Week Away' From Returning

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics have been without guard Isaiah Thomas since he took a nasty tumble last week in Miami, and it may be another week until he hits the floor again.

Thomas bruised his tailbone and right elbow after being taken to the ground by Dwyane Wade last Monday, and did not travel with the Celtics for their two-game road trip. There was some hope he could return to the floor Sunday in Boston against the Pistons, but that doesn't sound likely at this point.

In his weekly interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday, Celtics president Danny Ainge said Thomas' fall was one of the worst he's seen.

"It was a pretty gruesome fall. He bounced back and played the rest of the game, and hit a couple of big shots to secure that game for us. The next day, I saw his tailbone as he was getting therapy and I've never seen anything like that before in my 35 years in the NBA," said Ainge. "I've never seen anything that bruised and swollen. [On Wednesday], he was out and walking, shooting some shots, but I think he's a little bit away."

Ainge said Thomas is, "Maybe a week away from returning to the court."

The Celtics are still rolling without Thomas, winning four of the five games he's missed. Ainge attributes that to the team's trust in one another.

"I just think we have good synergy with our team. Guys trust their coach and players trust each other," he said. "We're getting a different special performance out of difference guys who are getting opportunities to play, and we also have great balance. Our bench providing us a spark, and it's a well balanced team."

 

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