During Boston’s 99-88 victory over Washington on Monday, the Wizards’ Caron Butler landed on Paul Pierce’s foot while the two were chasing a loose ball. Pierce said after the game that he thought he had sprained his ankle. As recent X-rays were inconclusive, Pierce will have to undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury.
From NBA.com:
The team does not know for sure if Pierce’s foot is broken after X-rays taken Tuesday; more tests are scheduled. But it “looks that way,” the league source said.
Another league source, while acknowledging that Pierce hurt his foot Monday, also said there was not yet definitive word that Pierce broke his foot and that the injury “might be a lot less serious” than that. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Tuesday evening that the team’s medical staff had yet to make a determination of the extent of Pierce’s injury.
The Celtics are hopeful that even if the foot is broken that Pierce won’t be out of the lineup for long. But they are not yet certain of that.
This is bad news for the Celtics, who have been dealing with injuries to key players all season. It’s unclear how long Pierce could be out, but they’re deep enough to cope for the time being. However, they’ll need their All-Star forward back at full strength for the playoffs if they have any hope at beating teams such as the Cavaliers and Hawks.
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