BOSTON – The return of Avery Bradley to the Boston Celtics is near, but it won’t be tonight.
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said Bradley (Achilles) will once again be out of the Celtics lineup tonight as they take on longtime rival the Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be the 12th straight game Bradley has missed, and 13th in the last 15 for the Celtics (31-18).
Rookie Jaylen Brown will once again be in the starting lineup for Bradley.
The news was more hopeful on Kelly Olynyk who was a last-minute scratch from Wednesday’s win over Toronto with a left shoulder injury.
Stevens said the 7-foot Olynyk would be available to play off of Boston’s bench.
His availability is a huge plus for Boston as they face a Lakers team that’s averaging a league-high 50.3 points off the bench this season.
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Stevens reiterated he planned to keep tonight’s starting five – Isaiah Thomas, Brown, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson and Al Horford – the same as it was against the Raptors.