Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard had to be helped off the court after suffering a sprained right knee in the first quarter. He won’t return for the rest of Friday’s game against the Sixers.
After leaping for a defensive rebound, Jaylen Brown landed on Pritchard’s foot, forcing the guard’s knee to bend awkwardly.
Pritchard immediately grabbed his knee, grimacing as he sat on the court. After several moments, he was helped off the court by two Celtics’ staffers. He appeared to be putting weight on his knee, but did so gingerly as he went directly to the locker room.
Without Pritchard, the Celtics are limited on the perimeter. Aaron Nesmith and Carsen Edwards were both already out. They play limited minutes as a rule anyway, but without Pritchard and Jayson Tatum out and Kemba Walker’s minutes restricted to about 28, the Celtics are more vulnerable to foul trouble and fatigue.
Pritchard had surpassed veteran free-agent signee Jeff Teague as the team’s first guard off the bench. The first-round pick out of Oregon is averaging 8.3 points and 2.8 assists in 22.4 minutes.
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