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The Celtics' first half vs. the Spurs on Saturday was a bittersweet one as they headed into the locker room with an 18-point lead, but lost Gordon Hayward to a hand injury.
Hayward collided with Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge in the second quarter and immediately exited the game favoring his left hand. He did not return.
The Celtics said in a tweet that Hayward has been diagnosed with a left hand fracture after an x-ray examination. Hayward is out for the remainder of the game against San Antonio, the team said.
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It's unclear right now how long the 6-foot-7 forward will be out.
Following the Celtics 135-115 win Saturday night, Coach Brad Stevens gave an update, saying Hayward would meet with the doctors Sunday to determine if he needs surgery or not. Stevens said it sounds like the surgery option may have a better timeline with it, if that's what Hayward chooses to do.
"We'll see what that all plays out to be. Who knows. It's too bad," Stevens said. "You know, every year you go stuff where different things happen, and different guys go down. We've already seen some guys, some really good players in this league hurt. And you know it's up to everybody else to pick up the slack and do their jobs."
Two years ago, Hayward missed the entire season after suffering leg and ankle injuries just six minutes into the Celtics' season opener.
"This one doesn't feel near as bad as it did two years ago so he'll be back," Stevens said. "He'll just uh be off for a few weeks or a month or whatever it is."
Hayward had nine points and two rebounds in 15 minutes before exiting Saturday night. He is averaging 20.3 points this season for the Celtics, who had won six straight entering Saturday's game.
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