Schroder to get an extended run in preseason finale

After sitting out the Celtics’ second exhibition game with a bruised left knee, and getting a rest along with most of the other regulars Wednesday night in Orlando, Dennis Schroder was ready for a much larger role Friday night in Miami.

The veteran guard started alongside Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford in the Celtics’ preseason finale against the Heat. Al Horford and Jaylen Brown, both still waiting to exit health and safety protocols, and Marcus Smart, serving a one-game suspension for breaking team rules, supplied the one-night opportunity for the bench players, including Schroder.

“Dennis is fine. It was just some soreness. He took the bump on the fall so we held him out of one game and a practice,” said Ime Udoka. “He’s been working out, getting his individual work in, got a lot of treatment in, and he’s good to go. He’s fine.”

Udoka planned to increase the minutes load of his starters against the Heat, and especially where Schroder is concerned,

“He will get a little bit of a longer run because he didn’t play against Orlando and he’s been out for a few practices,” said Udoka. “We’re also going to be smart with it. It’s the last preseason game and we have the next game coming up in the next three or four days so we’ll be smart with that. Get him some run and conditioning and continuity but be smart to not try to overdo it.

“The starting guys we know are out there, we’ll ramp them up a little more, but we’re also being cautious with the guys missing – Al, Marcus tonight and Jaylen,” he said. “We don’t want to overload them as guys have been missing in the preseason so far. But we do want to build on that 24, 28 minutes in the second game, and try to get them up a little bit higher. But at the same time be cautious and smart, especially in the last game of the preseason with the guys already out.”

Pritchard has nose reset

Payton Pritchard, who flew back to Boston for treatment after breaking his nose Wednesday night in Orlando, will be limited to non-contact drills leading up to Wednesday night’s season opener in New York. He’ll also play with a mask. If he can tolerate the discomfort or pain, he’ll play against the Knicks.

“He was looked at. He can get back on pretty quickly with non-contact since it’s a pain tolerance thing, and once we have our practices before the New York game, we’re hoping he’s good to go there,” said Udoka. “So obviously he’ll have to wear a mask, this is a pain tolerance thing, but will have him for the last few practices before the season opener.”

Horford and Brown returns uncertain

There is no official word on the progress of Horford and Brown, with both facing a series of steps before they can return, including two negative COVID tests.

“We’ll know when they’re healthy and ready to go with the tests and everything,” said Udoka. “They have protocols and mandates they have to pass, so that’s a day-by-day thing.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2YVC09h