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Stevens: Isaiah Thomas 'Pretty Close' To A Return

BOSTON (CBS) --  Isaiah Thomas is nearing a return. But Brad Stevens still isn't sure when that will happen.

The Celtics will be without their leading scorer for a fourth straight game Wednesday night when they visit the Spurs in San Antonio. There's hope that Thomas could return from his groin injury on Friday when the C's host the Charlotte Hornets, but nothing is set in stone.

"I've been told he possibly could come back as early as Friday, but there's no exact timetable," Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand on Wednesday. "He feels better. He had a little bit of stiffness on Monday, and then yesterday -- I haven't heard a report on him today. But that was after two-a-day workouts, so he is getting pretty close to a return."

Stevens said a possible "silver lining" from Thomas' absence is Boston's ability to play some of their younger players, which could make them a better team later in the season. But he scoffed at the notion that the Celtics play better without Thomas on the floor.

"Our ceiling isn't nearly as high," he said. "Missing Isaiah, you miss a guy who puts up 26 points a game and is very efficient. He leads our team in assists. He played as an all-star level last year and continued that this year. But any time you're missing players, you must have guys who step up and cover what they do collectively."

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