BOSTON -- Boston Celtics swingman Jae Crowder, already nursing a bruised right shin, got a late-game scare Wednesday when Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris fell on to the back of the same leg, leaving Crowder crumpled in pain.
The sight of Crowder grabbing his lower leg silenced TD Garden. Crowder eventually rolled onto his back, let out a scream, got pulled up by teammate Isaiah Thomas, and walked off the paint as the Celtics' sidelined exhaled.
Crowder played the final four minutes without issue. He got an extended treatment session after the Celtics held on for a 102-95 triumph over the Pistons and, despite walking with a slight limp, said he'd be fine.
"[Morris] just rolled me up, whole body rolled my ankle a little bit," Crowder said. "I tried to go down with the roll of it just so I could brace, not that much of an impact on my ankle and my shin, so I’ll be all right.
"I’m a little banged up but it’s a part of it and it’s about that time of the season where a lot of guys are getting nicks and knacks. But I’ll take care of my body the next few days and get ready for the next one."
The Celtics are rolling at the moment, having won seven of their last eight and 10 of their last 13 overall. They have moved to a season-best seven games over .500 and are tied for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. A bit thin on wing depth, a more severe leg injury would have been a tough blow for the Celtics to endure.
Crowder finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and four steals over 31:11. He was one of six Boston players that finished in double figures in scoring as part of an balanced effort in which all 10 players had at least four points and three rebounds. The Celtics led by as many as 24 before letting Detroit rally to within seven in the final moments.
"A win is a win. I don’t care how you put it," Crowder said. "They did make a run there late, but we came out on top and I think we executed well down the stretch."
Crowder has played in all 51 games for Boston this season while averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals over 32 minutes. He might have avoided injury earlier in the night when he slipped on what appeared to be a wet spot near the Detroit bench. Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope caught the same spot and wasn't so lucky, straining his right groin in the first half and needing assistance to the locker room before sitting out the rest of the game.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said Caldwell-Pope will undergo an MRI Thursday to determine the extent of his injury.
"I didn’t see [any wet spots], but for sure I slipped right after Caldwell-Pope did," Crowder said. "It was very slippery right there and hopefully he’s not that injured but it was for sure slippery."