Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas receives injection for groin injury
— -- Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas received a platelet-rich plasma injection Wednesday for a groin strain and is likely to miss his second straight game on Friday against the Toronto Raptors, according to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
During his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio 98.5 the Sports Hub, Ainge deemed Thomas day-to-day but hinted the team would exercise caution before putting him back on the floor.
Thomas, who injured his groin during the first half of Monday's loss to the Houston Rockets, flew back to Boston on Tuesday and missed Boston's 117-87 triumph in Orlando on Wednesday night.
Thomas had the injection into a thigh muscle, Ainge told the "Toucher and Rich" program. "I think that it's just day-to-day. I mean, he is a warrior. He loves to play. He'll be back faster than most players would be back after an injury.
"At the same time, we really have to be careful with Isaiah for the long haul and make sure that he doesn't come back and reinjure it. So I'm not sure the answer. I don't know if he'll play Friday. Probably not. ... And we'll just try to get him as much rest as we can and get him back out on the court when he's ready."
The Celtics have a day off Saturday before opening a two-game road trip in Oklahoma City on Sunday. The team has a two-day break before playing a national TV game on ESPN against San Antonio on Wednesday night should the team elect to get Thomas extended rest before he returns to game action.
Thomas, an All-Star last season, is the sixth Boston player to miss time due to injury this season. Boston utilized its sixth different starting lineup combination Wednesday against the Magic.
Thomas is averaging a career-best 26 points per game this season and is second in the East in scoring, only behind Toronto's DeMar DeRozan.
The Raptors sit atop the Atlantic Division, 1.5 games ahead of Boston, entering Thursday's action.
