Celtics' Larkin out for game five and 'foreseeable future'
Shane Larkin will miss game five against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says he will be out for the "foreseeable future".
Backup point guard Larkin sustained a shoulder sprain in a collision with 76ers center Joel Embiid in the second quarter of the game four loss on Monday.
Although he is averaging just 14 minutes in the playoffs, Larkin has been effective in guarding JJ Redick and his absence will likely increase the load on Terry Rozier, who has led the team in the absence of Kyrie Irving.
"Shane's got a sprained shoulder - very, very sore - so out [Wednesday] and for the foreseeable future," said Stevens.
Terry Rozier on making up for Shane Larkin’s absence: “We had to get Game 1 without Jaylen Brown, so the story continues. That’s just the way it goes.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 9, 2018
"Obviously he'll continue to strengthen it, work on it with our training staff and everything else, but I don't anticipate him back any time soon.
"He got hit pretty good but the imaging suggested that surgery probably won't be needed.
"We're just going to have to have other guys step up, we're used to that. He's played really well in the series and done a lot of great things for us all year and through the playoffs.
"Bummer for him. I think that's where you always start in this scenario, and then we'll figure it out."
The Celtics will keep Jaylen Brown on a minutes restriction following a hamstring injury as they look to close out the series in Boston on Wednesday.
