Cavs' Tristan Thompson (thumb) won't play against Celtics

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BOSTON -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are no different than most title chasers who want to get their core players some rest before the playoffs.
 
But this is probably not what they had in mind.
 
Tristan Thompson is not with the Cavs as they prepare to face the Boston Celtics tonight.
 
Thompson will reportedly have an MRI performed today after suffering a thumb injury in Cleveland’s win over Orlando on Tuesday.
 
This will be the first game he has missed since Feb. 10, 2012, a span of 477 games which was the longest then-current streak of games played in the NBA.
 
The absence of Thompson is indeed a blow to a Cavs team which comes in having won three in a row.
 
In addition to his near double-double numbers (9.4 points, 8.7 rebounds) as Cleveland’s fourth option (at best), the Cavs will miss the intangibles he brings to the game such as hustle for loose balls, deflections and the ability to protect the rim.
 
And he has really been effective against Boston this season, averaging a double-double of 11.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field.
 
Boston has injury concerns of its own heading into tonight’s game.
 
In Boston’s 110-94 win at New York on Sunday, Jae Crowder suffered a left elbow injury that he didn’t notice until the third quarter. After watching the game on replay two times, Crowder said he still doesn’t know how or when the injury occurred.
 
The Celtics held Crowder out of practice on Tuesday, although he did do some light shooting prior to practice starting. When speaking with the media on Tuesday, Crowder said there’s still some swelling in the elbow and that he wasn’t sure if he was going to play tonight.
 
“I got an MRI (Monday),” Crowder said. “No structural damage. So that’s pretty good. Very, very tender and sore right now. I’ll wake up (today) with a better since of if I can play.”
 

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