Hayward upgraded to ‘questionable' for Game 3

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The Boston Celtics desperately need a spark in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Miami Heat -- and Gordon Hayward hopes to give it to them.

The injured Celtics forward felt good after a post-practice workout Wednesday and is "progressing toward returning" for Game 3 on Saturday night, The Athletic's Jared Weiss reported Thursday.

The Celtics officially upgraded Hayward to "questionable" Friday evening:

Hayward hasn't played since Aug. 17 after spraining his ankle in the Celtics' playoff opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics could use Hayward's services after blowing double-digit leads in Games 1 and 2 to fall into a 2-0 series hole against Miami, and history suggests the 30-year-old veteran could make an immediate impact if he's able to play Saturday night.

Celtics legend Kevin Garnett recently wondered how Hayward would re-integrate with the team after missing a month of action, but considering the C's reportedly had an ugly locker room blow-up following Game 2, a fresh face in the lineup might be just what they need.

Game 3 tips off Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in Orlando.

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