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Malcolm Brogdon left Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and was listed as doubtful to return due to “right forearm soreness,” the Boston Celtics announced Thursday.
On Wednesday, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reported that Brogdon has been dealing with a “partial tear in the tendon coming out of his right elbow that leads into his forearm” suffered during Game 1 of the series against the Miami Heat.
Per that report, he also dealt with “golfer’s elbow soreness” during the second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers but made it worse while attempting to box out Kevin Love in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brogdon played just eight minutes in Game 5 and didn’t record any points. He’s struggled in general against Miami, averaging 8.5 points per game coming into Thursday night while shooting just 35.3 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The 30-year-old was far more impactful during the regular season, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award after averaging 14.9 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three in 26 minutes per game.
That dose of instant offense and perimeter shooting was valuable for the Celtics, but his struggles contributed to the Celtics falling into a 3-0 hole to start the series, though they’ve since won two games in a row to force a Game 6 in Miami on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on TNT).
NBA teams are 0-150 after losing the first three games of a player series, so the Celtics are attempting to make history. A healthy Brogdon would certainly help, though his short appearance on Thursday suggests his injury is only getting worse.
If Brogdon isn’t available in Game 6, look for Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to see additional minutes.