Kyrie Irving Injury: Facial Fracture Sidelines Boston Celtics Point Guard
A Kyrie Irving injury update states he will miss the Boston Celtics game on Sunday (November 12). Irving suffered a facial fracture in a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night (November 10). He ended up having to leave the court when he was inadvertently hit in the face by the elbow of teammate Aron Baynes. While the Celtics still emerged with another victory, it forced Irving to head to the hospital.
A report by The Vertical did reveal some good news for Celtics fans, as it appears that Irving is going to try to play through the injury. He is getting fitted for a face mask that he will need to wear for roughly two weeks. Following the game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, the Boston Celtics will make a quick road trip to play the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday (November 14). Irving is expected to return to the court for that game.
The Kyrie Irving trade has turned out very well for the Celtics this season. In 13 games for the team, Irving has averaged 20.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Those numbers take into account playing less than two minutes on Friday, with the injury causing his averages to take a big hit. He finished with no positive stats and was just 0-of-1 from the field when Aron Baynes connected with Irving’s face.
Kyrie Irving likely to miss Sunday’s game but plans to get fitted for mask, play through facial fracture, sources tell @ShamsCharania : https://t.co/dp39AL9OTw pic.twitter.com/Xc9ZiNxYTN
— The Vertical (@TheVertical) November 11, 2017
In the updated NBA standings, the Boston Celtics have the best record in the league at 11-2. After starting out the season with two losses, the team has won 11-straight games to take over the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. That puts the Celtics one-and-a-half games ahead of the Detroit Pistons (9-3) for the best record in the East. It also puts Kyrie Irving’s new team five games ahead of his old one, as the Cleveland Cavaliers are just 6-7 on the year.
This Kyrie Irving injury could end up just being a blip on the season, especially if he only misses the game against the Toronto Raptors before returning to the court. The Boston Celtics certainly appear to have the depth necessary to make a lot of noise in the 2017-18 NBA Playoffs if the team can stay away from many more injuries. The team took a huge hit when they lost Gordon Hayward for the season, but Irving has certainly helped them bounce back quicker than expected.
[Featured Image by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images]
