Gordon Hayward to rest against New York Knicks, will not play

The Boston Celtics have announced Gordon Hayward will not play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks, giving him some extra rest for his recovering ankle.

The Celtics face their first back-to-back of the season tonight, after opening their season with tough Eastern Conference matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. Hayward has been on a fairly strict minutes cap in the early going, averaging 24.5 minutes in the Celtics’ first two games, after averaging 19.6 in his three preseason appearances.

Hayward has shown some rust in his return to game action, but has been showing encouraging flashes of his old self. Last night against the Raptors, he posted his best performance since returning to the court, with 14 points on six-of-13 shooting from the field in his 25 minutes. He’s also been active defensively in both regular season games thus far, as well, with five total steals.

The fifth starter for tonight’s game has not yet been announced. For their next game, the Celtics return to Boston to host the Orlando Magic on Monday night.