WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley passed a preliminary concussion test on Thursday, but coach Brad Stevens indicated the team will reevaluate him on Friday to ensure no lingering effects from a hard fall in the team's season-opener on Wednesday night in Toronto.
Bradley collided with Toronto's Kyle Lowry while chasing a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter and spilled hard to the floor. Bradley played five more minutes before sitting out the final 30 seconds of the game. Team trainers examined him in the locker room, but he did not express any concerns while meeting with reporters later.
Bradley showed up for practice Thursday, but the team took him to be evaluated. His status is uncertain for Friday's home-opener against the Bucks.
“We were told that he does not [have a concussion,] but they’re going to reevaluate him,” said Stevens. “I’ve always been big on this: To me, it’s really important to be conservative and to make sure that we make the right decisions on [head injuries]. At the end of the day, that’s a lot more important than the next game.”
With Bradley absent, Jordan Crawford was spotted in a green first-unit practice jersey as the Celtics went through light activities after watching film of Wednesday's loss.
Bradley, a natural shooting guard, is playing out of position at the point while Rajon Rondo rehabs from ACL surgery. Bradley had eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and four turnovers over 31:19 in Wednesday's opener.
Stevens stressed the testing was precautionary.
"[Bradley] came in and we first met [as a team] and [trainer] Ed [Lacerte] told him he wanted to see him," said Stevens. "[Bradley] walked around a little bit and then we just said, ‘You know what, we feel a lot better if we just go get it checked.'"