Celtics’ Sam Hauser Remains Out For Game 3

Celtics forward Sam Hauser will miss a second consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain, the team announced ahead of Saturday’s Game 3 vs. the Knicks.

Hauser, who suffered the injury on Monday and exited TD Garden in a walking boot after Boston’s Game 1 loss, was initially listed as doubtful for Game 2 on Wednesday before being ruled out. He also had a doubtful designation on the injury report for this afternoon’s contest before he was downgraded.

While Hauser isn’t one of the Celtics’ most important contributors, he was the eighth man in the rotation for much of the season and played a regular role off the bench in the first round against Orlando, averaging 14.6 minutes per game across those five contests. During the regular season, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game across 71 outings (19 starts), knocking down 41.6% of his three-pointers.

With Hauser unavailable and Kristaps Porzingis limited to 14 minutes due to an illness, head coach Joe Mazzulla leaned more heavily on his starters in Game 2 of Boston’s second-round series, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White each logging at least 40 minutes. It wasn’t enough for the Celtics, who dropped both home games and will be looking for their first win of the series in New York in Game 3.

Hauser is the only player listed on Saturday’s injury report for either team.

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