BOSTON -- Celtics backup point guard Keyon Dooling said his ailing right knee is feeling better, but he plans to sit out both Friday's visit from the Chicago Bulls and Saturday's trip to play the Indiana Pacers with hopes of returning to game action next week.
Dooling's knee flared up after Wednesday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, forcing him to sit out Thursday's practice. He stressed in the locker room before Friday's game that it's a "minor" injury and he hasn't even gone for an MRI or any tests because of the overnight improvement. But it's enough to keep him sidelined through the weekend.
"I just know around 4 in the morning [after Wednesday's game], I woke up and something wasn't right," he said. "It's feeling a lot better today though. A lot better."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't seem overly concerned about the injury. Informed of the injury timeline, he quipped, "That's the first I've heard about it, sounds good to me."
What will the Celtics do to replace Dooling's minutes?
"We play other guys," Rivers said. "We’ll play E’Twaun [Moore], Avery [Bradley], Marquis [Daniels] -- so you have the bodies."
Rivers hinted that this could be a chance for rookie Moore to establish himself as he tries to carve out a role as a backup point guard (despite being a shooting guard in college).
"[Moore has] been great, actually. I would make the case that running the pure point guard spot, he might be our best option," Rivers said. "We’ve gone with Keyon because of experience and I still like Keyon at the 2, as you guys know by now, so this may be the start of it."
Sasha Pavlovic (wrist) joins Dooling as inactive for Friday's game, while Jermaine O'Neal (knee) will play.
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