Boston Celtics: 3 reasons why last night's loss was worst of the season

Boston Celtics: 3 reasons why last night’s loss was worst of the season

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 3: Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets drives past Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics in the first half at TD Garden on March 3, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

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Boston Celtics (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Injuries to key players

The worst thing that can happen in a singular regular season NBA contest is long-term damage to your rotation. Last night, the Boston Celtics were hit with a key injury in the first half when Gordon Hayward left the game with a knee contusion and did not return to the sidelines.

Hayward has missed a portion of the season already with injuries–with his hand injury back in November being the most significant injury to date. His career in green and white has been defined by missed games and potential that hasn’t been reached, making this injury just another in a long line of misfortunes since he signed a max contract in 2017.

Things got worse in the second half when Jaylen Brown injured his hamstring, which is a notoriously tricky injury to recover from. Brown hasn’t missed as much time as Hayward this season, with most of his missed time coming from an illness at the offset of the 2019-20 campaign.

Now, Boston is missing it’s two supplementary stars in the wake of knee issues with Kemba Walker and an ongoing sickness Jayson Tatum is dealing with that could force him to miss tonight’s game against Cleveland.

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