Getty Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics are finally getting their mojo back as we approach the midpoint of the season, but there may be a kink in things as Irving had to leave Thursday night’s game early with a shoulder injury.
Luckily, the Celtics had a hefty 17-point lead at the time of the injury, and they were able to pull the game out over the Knicks for their 14th win of the season.
Kyrie Irving ran to the bench and was grabbing at his right shoulder when he exited. Trainer Art Horne paid a quick visit but Kyrie didn’t look all that concerned. He’s getting iced up now but still standing to celebrate Brad Wanamaker 3s.
In his postgame interview, Irving was in good spirits and didn’t seem at all concerned with the state of his shoulder. It looked bad–it was wrapped and stacked with ice that might suggest it’s something serious–but Irving insisted that it’s nothing to worry about.
“I’ll just get treated and I’ll be fine,” he said casually after the game. Irving had 22 points in the solid win at home, and was followed by Jaylen Brown who had 21. Gordon Hayward contributed 9 points after coming off of a huge 30 point performance on December 1st, and Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, and Daniel Theis were all in double figures.
It was a great overall team win, so it’s no wonder Irving was in such good spirits. If the shoulder injury really was serious, he definitely would have taken it harder as the Celtics seem to just barely be meshing after a tough early season.
They play the Bulls next in Chicago, which should be an easy win for the team as they come into their own (and the Bulls continue to slog through a losing season rife with injury and misfortune), but the next big challenge will be on Monday against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans.
In the meantime, Kyrie will be taking care of that shoulder. It seems like it’ll be alright.
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