Celtics Will Be Without Avery Bradley Wednesday Vs. Raptors
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics will be without guard Avery Bradley again when they host the Toronto Raptors, head coach Brad Stevens confirmed on Wednesday.
Stevens, joining 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand for his weekly interview, said Bradley will miss his eighth straight game with an Achilles injury.
"He practiced [Tuesday], we just feel like his return to play needs more practice and more reps at full speed before he gets back out there, especially with how much energy and effort he puts into playing on both ends of the court," said Stevens. "Being smart with this is really important."
Bradley, who is averaging a career-high 17.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season, has missed a total of 11 games with the injury. The Celtics have won seven of those 11 games, including their last four.
Rookie Jaylen Brown has started in Bradley's place the last four games, averaging 8.8 points over 22.3 minutes of play.
Boston currently owns a half-a-game lead over Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto will be without All-Star DeMar DeRozan for the second straight game on Wednesday, with the guard sidelined by an ankle injury.
Listen to Zolak & Bertrand's full interview with Brad Stevens:
