The sight of Gordon Hayward limping off the floor made Celtics fans everywhere a little nauseous.
With just more than three minutes left in Boston’s series-opening win against Philadephia Monday, Hayward put a body on Joel Embiid, trying to keep him off the glass. When Hayward lept, he came down on the foot of teammate Daniel Theis. Hayward’s ankle rolled 90 degrees.
He stayed under the basket until play was stopped then he limped off the court.
Gordon Hayward being helped off the court after appearing to injure his ankle. pic.twitter.com/ePanph0cwZ
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 18, 2020
Hayward will undergo an MRI, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews. Hayward let the arena on crutches and with his foot in a boot, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens had no details other than to say Hayward was in some pain.
Brad Stevens says he "doesn't know the severity" of Hayward's injury, but he's "clearly in some pain." pic.twitter.com/BlZgLm10O6
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 18, 2020
Howard had an okay game before limping off the court, scoring 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
Part of Boston’s strength is the versatility of its perimeter players on both ends. The combination of Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum means Boston can switch a lot of things defensively and go at mismatches on the other end with a variety of guys. If Hayward is going to miss time, it chips away at all that for the Celtics.
Boston leads the first-round series 1-0, with Game 2 set for Wednesday.