Isaiah Thomas Will Play in Game 6

Despite landing on his ankle weirdly, Isaiah Thomas says he’ll be ready for Game 6

A scary moment took place for the entire city of Boston late in Game 5, and no, it wasn’t the score. Isaiah Thomas drove the lane for a layup, but he landed on his ankle and immediately committed a foul so he could go to the locker room.

IT injury: https://t.co/UOgKIzCXRK
— KWAPT (@KWAPT) April 27, 2016

The worst thoughts were running through everyone’s heads as Game 5 was all but over and everyone had already switched to their attention to Game 6, a must-win for the Boston Celtics. Now, the thoughts turned from whether they’ll be able to bounce back from a terrible loss to, will Isaiah Thomas be ready? And, will he be close to 100 percent?

The Celtics have called it a mild left ankle sprain and Thomas will play in Game 6.

Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe saw that Thomas was without tape on his ankle after the game. He also asked Thomas about the injury and his status for Game 6, Thomas responded by saying, “I’m great, ready for Game 6. I’ll play no matter what.”

With Isaiah Thomas’s status now cleared up, the media will surely question why Brad Stevens chose to keep Thomas in the game despite the Celtics being down 89-to-62 heading into the fourth quarter. The game was over and there was no reason to keep your All-Star guard in a playoff game when you’re facing a win or go home game in a couple of days.

Either way, Boston lucked out since his injury doesn’t seem to be too serious. A lot of reports are saying that he was also sidelined because of precautionary reasons (the score), meaning if it was a close game, he might have been able to play again in Game 5.

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Everything has been good news involving Isaiah Thomas’s ankle. The city of Boston can breathe a sigh of relief as there’s no doubt they’ll need another big performance out of him in Game 6. He was a no-show in Game 5 and it hurt the Celtics a lot. Being held scoreless in the first half, the Celtics weren’t able to find any rhythm on offense and dug themselves into a deep hole.

Thomas is the team’s leading scorer, however, his job as a facilitator is equally important. Evan Turner has started handling the ball more in the playoffs, but the offense runs through Thomas. Whether it’s him driving the lane, coming off a screen for a three or setting someone else up, he’s always a main part of the offense.

Boston has their backs against the wall and Thomas will have to try to improve on his poor shooting in Game 5, but this time with a bad ankle. He and the Celtics have continued to face adversity this season, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than the normal bulldog-attitude we are use to seeing from Isaiah Thomas and the rest of the Celtics.

Next: Brad Stevens Was Out-Coached in Game 5

Game 6 will be on Thursday in Boston, so Thomas will have one day to rest his ankle. With everything being said about his ankle, there’s no doubt he’s already put Game 5 behind him and is focusing on Game 6, not on his ankle.