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Robb: Jae Crowder To Miss At Least Two Weeks With High Ankle Sprain

WALTHAM (CBS) – Starting small forward Jae Crowder will miss at least the next two weeks of action for the Boston Celtics with a high ankle sprain, according to head coach Brad Stevens.

The 25-year-old suffered the injury in the second half of Friday's 102-98 loss against the Houston Rockets after taking a hard fall during a fast break opportunity. Crowder remained in the game for a couple minutes after the play but looked to be  limping heavily. He was subbed out shortly thereafter and headed to the locker room with trainer Eddie Lacerte.

Initially, Stevens was optimistic the injury was no more than a minor sprain during Friday's postgame press conference, since there was just limited swelling at that point in the ankle. However, things changed on Saturday for the swingman.

"He went back in and saw the doctor and had developed a little bit of swelling, has a high ankle sprain," Stevens said at Sunday's practice. "He's going to be out a couple of weeks minimum."

Crowder has started all of Boston's 66 games this season. He ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game and is also third in rebounding (5.1). The Marquette product has also been one of the most durable players in the NBA during his five pro seasons, as pointed out Sunday by Celtics radio play-by-play man Sean Grande.

https://twitter.com/SeanGrandePBP/status/709091160803905536

With five games in seven nights looming for Boston against some formidable opposition, including Oklahoma City, Indiana and Denver, the timing will be tough for Stevens to lose one of his top defensive stoppers. However, the third-year head coach believes it will be a chance for the team to utilize some of the young talent at the bottom of the roster.

"I think it's a heck of a challenge when you look at our week ahead, right?" Stevens said. "With George, Durant and DeRozan -- bang, bang, bang. But that's this league. That's why long, athletic, versatile guys are in such demand in this league. Again, we may be a little bit smaller at times at the 3 and we may be bigger than we've been at times at the 4. We'll see how it all plays itself out and pans out. We've got a lot of good players. It's a great opportunity for them, and it's a great opportunity for some of our younger players maybe to take a more pivotal role than they have so far."

Boston is also expected to get some bench help back on Tuesday in the form of big man Kelly Olynyk. The seven-footer has missed 11 straight games with a separated shoulder, but took part in a full contact practice on Sunday.

"It's feeling better. It's loosening up," Olynyk said of his injury. "The muscle is getting stronger each day. And that's really what it comes down to, if it's strong enough to rebound and take a hit and help shoot the ball."

While the pressure may be increased to return sooner with Crowder out of the fold for a couple weeks, Olynyk knows in order to help his team, he must be at his best physically.

"You have to know your shoulder's gonna be strong enough to do the things you need to do. That's what it comes down to," he said. "If you're not then you're not helping the team. You're hindering the team and you're putting the team at a disadvantage, and that's not what you want to do."

While Olynyk's eventual return will help matters, it will take a standout from the entire Celtics rotation, especially on the defensive end, to make up for Crowder's absence over the next two weeks.

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter@CelticsHub.

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