Gordon Hayward exits Game 1 with right ankle sprain

Gordon Hayward didn’t make it completely through Game 1 of the Boston Celtics opening round playoff series with the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night.

Late in the fourth quarter while battling for a defensive rebound with Joel Embiid in the paint, Hayward came down awkwardly on the foot of Daniel Theis and rolled his ankle pretty significantly. Hayward struggled to put weight on his foot along the baseline before he limped off the court following the play and did not return to the game. The Celtics announced that Hayward suffered a right ankle sprain.

After Boston’s 109-101 victory, Celtics coach Brad Stevens didn’t give much insight into the severity of Hayward’s injury or a timeline expected for his return.

“Don’t know the severity, but he’s clearly in pain and it looked like it had some swelling already,” Stevens said.

Per the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Hayward left the arena in crutches and his foot in a boot. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that Hayward will undergo an MRI on his sprained right ankle tonight following the game.

Hayward played 34 minutes before the injury knocked him from the game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three assists.