The Boston Celtics will be without their All-Star point guard Kemba Walker for Saturday’s showdown with the rival Philadelphia 76ers, the team announced.
After the team’s morning shootaround the Celtics tweeted out the news that Walker will be sidelined because of soreness in his left knee.
“Kemba’s out,” Stevens said at the Celtics practice facility, per ESPN.com. “Most likely, at minimum, the next two games, maybe, and then we’ll reevaluate it after that.”
The Celtics coach explained that Walker’s knee became bothersome during Boston’s 119-104 win against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, when the star guard scored just 13 points in 31 minutes. He also missed a game against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 18 with similar symptoms in the same knee.
A nine-year veteran, Walker was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star team Friday. He has played in 42 of 47 games and is averaging a team-best 22.0 points and 5.0 assists per game for the Celtics, who entered Saturday in third place in the Eastern Conference.
The team will also be without center Enes Kanter (right hip contusion) as it tries to avoid suffering a season sweep against the Sixers for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
