Here's the latest on Marcus Smart, Robert Williams entering Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals may come down to who's on the court -- and it might be a while before we find that out.
Boston Celtics starters Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain) and Robert Williams (left knee soreness) are both listed as questionable for Wednesday's Game 5 at FTX Arena, while five players are questionable for the Miami Heat in Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker, Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka gave a somewhat positive update on both Smart and Williams after Celtics shootaround Wednesday morning but suggested both players will be true game-time decisions.
Forsberg: Time Lord's availability might be the biggest hurdle facing the Celtics
"Both feeling better," Udoka said. "Marcus still has some swelling and pain and soreness. They will test it out pregame and see how they feel."
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Smart missed Monday's Game 4 after suffering a nasty ankle injury in Game 3. He hasn't missed back-to-back games yet this postseason, though, and would give the Celtics a huge boost on both ends if he can play.
Williams' status might be even more important, however. The Celtics big man played a key role in stifling Miami's offense Monday night, and the C's have outscored the Heat by a whopping 23.2 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor.
Unfortunately for Boston fans, it sounds like Williams' knee will be an issue from here on out.
"The amount of guys on the questionable list from game to game is kind of alarming. But we've been dealing with it -- especially with the Rob situation -- for a while," Udoka said.
"He's pretty much day-to-day the rest of the playoffs, so it's something we have to manage and work around."
Williams has played in just three of Boston's last eight games after suffering a bone bruise on his surgically-repaired left knee on May 7. He has also yet to play back-to-back games in different locations since that injury, as it appears the grind of travel and playing every other day has affected his knee as well.
The Celtics will hope Williams can break that trend Wednesday, though. The team usually has announced its starting lineups about an hour before game time, so we should know around 7:30 p.m. ET whether Time Lord and Smart will be able to play in Game 5.
NBC Sports Boston's coverage for Game 5 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with "Celtics Pregame Live."
