DERRICK WHITE CELTICS PLAYER TO MISS GAME 2 FOR BIRTH OF CHILD AND MARCUS SMART UPGRADED TO ‘PROBABLE’.
Al Horford, who missed Game 1 after entering health and safety protocols, was upgraded to ‘available’.
Derrick White will miss out on Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat on Thursday night over the looming birth of his child.
At the same time, Marcus Smart is expected to rejoin the Celtics after missing the series opener with a foot sprain, the team announced earlier.
The Celtics updated their injury report on Thursday to reflect White’s absence, which listed him as out due to “personal reasons,” but head coach Ime Udoka clarified it was because White’s wife was having a baby much sooner than expected.
“You don’t want to say it’s a tough situation. We knew he was expecting a baby soon,” Udoka said. “Things happen in life and we always support our guys.”
Smart could possibly rejoin the team for Game 2 after he did not play on Monday night because of a mid-foot sprain he sustained during Boston’s Game 7 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Udoka told reporters his return was “probable.”
“When he goes before the game, we’ll know from there, but he looked better in shootaround today and overall we expect him to play.”
Also making a return will be Al Horford who entered into the NBA’s health and safety protocols for the third time this season. The Celtics announced late Thursday afternoon that his status had been upgraded to “available.”
Miami will be looking to take a 2-0 lead when they host Boston in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight at 8:30 ET.
