Robert Williams removed from injury report after missing 8 games
The center has played in just 28 of Boston's 72 games this season.
Celtics center Robert Williams is ready to return to NBA action after missing the last two weeks with a left hamstring strain.
Boston removed Williams from its injury report ahead of Tuesday’s matchup in Sacramento. It was initially announced that Williams could be available for the game against the Kings on Saturday, after head coach Joe Mazzulla said he was close to a return.
Williams, who is no stranger to injuries, suffered the strain during Boston’s game against Brooklyn on March 3. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Williams went up to contest a shot from Cam Johnson and landed awkwardly on his left leg.
After the difficult landing, Williams exited the game and missed the next eight games.
Over that span, the Celtics have desperately missed their center. They are 4-4 in their last eight games with losses to sub .500 teams like the Jazz and Rockets. Over that stretch Boston has also fallen two and a half games behind Milwaukee for first place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Without Williams, the team has allowed a bounty of rebounds. Opponents have grabbed at least 46 boards in all but one of the games that he’s missed in March. That happened just twice in the 10 games before the March 3 game against Brooklyn.
Prior to the Nets game, the Celtics were 13-4 in games that Williams started. In those 17 games, he averaged 9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks.