After playing a substantial amount of minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving and center Al Horford missed Friday’s practice in order to respect, Irving and Horford played 41 and 37 minutes against Milwaukee respectively, more minutes than any player on the Bucks would play.
Irving, who went 9-27 from the field in a game (he finished with 22 points) that was a tale of two halves for the six-time All-Star, spoke on the minutes that he played on Thursday and said he trusted Celtics head coach Brad Stevens decision-making and would be ready to play 40-plus minutes again if he was asked to. At 26-years-old and in the best shape of his career, any other answer from Irving should have raised eyebrows.
On the other hand, Horford played so many minutes in large part because he was Boston’s most dynamic force.
He put his entire game on display against Milwaukee, finishing the game with 21 points (8-21 from the field and 2-6 from three-point range), 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. However, Horford is 32-years-old and has been battling knee soreness throughout the season so the Celtics holding him out of practice could be seen as a preemptive decision.
Both players should be ready to play against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Meanwhile, forward Gordon Hayward will have his injury status reevaluated prior to the game after responding positively to Friday’s practice. Hayward missed the Celtics game against the Bucks with a right ankle sprain he suffered during a workout with teammate Semi Ojeleye.
