The Boston Celtics avoided the worst-case scenario with new forward Danilo Gallinari, it appears.
Gallinari has a torn meniscus in his left knee but suffered no ligament damage, the Italian national basketball team announced Sunday morning.
Gallinari suffered a scary-looking non-contact injury Saturday in Italy's FIBA World Cup qualifying game against Georgia. The initial fear was that Gallinari had torn his ACL, but Italian journalist Cesare Milanti later reported that Gallinari's ACL is stable.
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Tests on Gallinari's knee Sunday in Italy confirmed that his ACL is intact.
The Celtics signed Gallinari to a two-year, $13 million contract in July, and the 34-year-old is expected to provide valuable scoring depth off the bench. He averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Atlanta Hawks last season while shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range.
Gallinari's timeline for a return is unclear, as recovery can vary based on the severity of the injury. For some context, Celtics forward Robert Williams tore his meniscus in late March and missed about a month of action.
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In any case, Gallinari appears to have avoided a season-derailing injury, which is positive news for him and the Celtics.