Celtics' Marcus Morris 'Sore As Hell' After Suffering Neck Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- Add Marcus Morris to the Celtics' growing list of injured players.
Morris took a tumble early in the fourth quarter of Boston's 115-102 win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, and after running up and down the court a few times, had to leave the floor. Trainers examined the right side of his neck before sending him off to the locker room for further examination, and he was ruled out with a sore neck with just over four minutes to go in the game.
Morris struggled to turn his head as he spoke with reporters following Wednesday's win, turning his whole upper body when answering questions.
"I'm sore as hell," said Morris. "I feel like I got a crick in my neck."
There was no MRI scheduled as of Thursday morning, and Celtics president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge sounded optimistic that the injury won't cost Morris too much time. But he also said these kind of injuries usually take a day or so to fully understand, so the Celtics and Morris are playing the waiting game.
"This looks like an injury that won't last too long, but again, you have to usually wait until the next day to get a feel for how those things are," Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Thursday. "He was definitely sore, hit his shoulder and felt a twinge. Like a stinger or something like that. But I think he'll be OK. He's not certain for Friday, but possible."
Morris has been one of Boston's best players during their sluggish start, averaging 15.4 points off 50 percent shooting to go with six rebounds per game. Losing him for any stretch would test their depth, especially with the team dealing with a handful of injuries elsewhere on the roster. The Celtics were without Kyrie Irving on Wednesday as he deals with an eye injury he suffered Monday night in San Antonio, and he could miss an extended period of time (Ainge termed him day-to-day on Thursday, but said that was just a guess). Center Aron Baynes is still sidelined after breaking his hand on Dec 19, and though he's doing work on the court, Ainge said there is no timetable for the big man's return.
There's also another interesting twist to Morris' neck injury, with his twin brother, Markieff, set to visit a specialist for -- you guessed it -- a neck injury. The Morris twins share just about everything (their tattoos are nearly identical), but sharing injuries is just weird.
But at least it doesn't sound like Marcus' neck injury is as bad as Markieff's, which he's been dealing with since the middle of December after taking an elbow from LeBron James.
The Celtics return to action Friday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.
