WALTHAM, Mass. -- Quick hits after the Celtics practiced Tuesday at HealthPoint:
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KG is doubtful vs. Pistons.* KG sits, doubtful for Wednesday; Pietrus also doubtful: Kevin Garnett sat out of Tuesday's practice after tweaking his right hip flexor in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bulls. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the injury isn't serious, but listed Garnett as "doubtful" for Wednesday's game against the Pistons.
"[Garnett's injury] started during [Sunday's game against the Bulls]," said Rivers. "Kevin has a 50/50 chance [of playing Wednesday]. We'll find out [Wednesday]. It's nothing bad with Kevin. But [Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte] really suggested two days off and then he said today, 'Maybe three days off.' So we'll find that out [Wednesday]."
Rivers also said Mickael Pietrus is doubtful for Wednesday's game, as he only participated in a portion of Tuesday's practice to get extra treatment on the right knee he had surgery on this offseason.
* O'Neal leaning towards Wednesday return: After missing the last two games, Jermaine O'Neal participated in the entirety of Tuesday's practice and he said he thinks he'll be able to play against the Pistons Wednesday, but did acknowledge he's still experiencing discomfort in his left shoulder.
"I just took a direct blow to the capsule part of the shoulder and really inflamed it to the point where I couldn't raise it," O'Neal said following Tuesday's session. "It's one of those things where you just come in and get treatment and get back to the point where you can get some more movement in it."
When asked whether he'll play tomorrow, O'Neal said: "Yeah, I was able to get through practice. It's still a little bit sore, but you try to give what you can give."
* Bass discusses right knee issues: Forward Brandon Bass, who missed Sunday's game against the Bulls with right knee soreness, admitted he originally hurt himself when the Celtics defeated the Magic in Orlando on Jan. 26. Bass made an effort to keep playing, but will now sit out the recommended 10-14 days in order to rest and strengthen his knee. Bass will most likely return after the All-Star break later this month.
"I injured myself and I didn't want to sit out," said Bass. "I wanted to continue to play. Now I'm resting it and then I'm strengthening it up, and then I'll be ready to go.
"[My knee] swelled up and I put ice on it. I wanted to just keep going because I felt I could keep going, but it kept getting weaker and weaker. Talking with the staff, they thought it would be important for me to rest it, let it heal, and then strengthen it up, and then I'll be ready to go."
* Dooling suffers setback: Keyon Dooling, who returned on Sunday following a nine-game absence with a hip injury, was held out of the middle portion of Tuesday's session by Rivers, who said he "struggled" as practice went on.
"I was a little worried, honestly, watching him practice," Rivers acknowledged, before noting he thinks Dooling will still suit up on Wednesday.
"I think he's going to play," said Rivers. "I think he wants to play. But I did think as practice went on he started trying to shy away from contact."
* Rivers embracing upcoming road stretch: When asked about the daunting road-heavy schedule facing his club over the next several weeks (including a season-high eight-game stretch away from Boston beginning March 11), Rivers said he's actually looking forward to it.
"I'm looking forward to it. I think it's good for the team in some ways," said Rivers. "Long, good road trips usually bring your team together, or blows them up [laughs]. One of the two. No, I think it's a good thing. I don't like that some of them are back-to-back and all that, but I don't mind the road at all. I've never looked at the road as an enemy."
* C's take advantage of practice time: Prior to Tuesday, the Celtics hadn't held an official practice session since Jan. 25 in Orlando, relying primarily on shootarounds on gamedays to fine tune areas like execution. Despite missing three key bodies on Tuesday, Rivers said his club still got a lot done.
"Today we did a lot, really, with what we had, honestly," said Rivers. "We worked on a lot of zone offense. On defense, we did a lot of small lineup, which, we may have no choice. And then we worked on some traditional stuff. It was only an hour and a half, but we got a lot of work in."