Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka says center Robert Williams III will be considered day-to-day throughout the NBA Finals series but he is confident Marcus Smart won't be hampered by foot and ankle issues.
What: Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors, NBA Finals Game 1
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco
When: 02:00, Friday 3rd June, 2022
How to watch: Sky Sports or bet365 Live Stream
Odds: GS Warriors 20/33, BOS Celtics 29/20
Injuries being monitored
The Celtics travel to Golden State Warriors for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday and they are 27/20 to win the series, while Boston can be backed at 20/31 to win the series 4-3.
Williams has been dealing with soreness in his left knee throughout the playoffs following surgery to repair a repair a torn meniscus in April, while he has also been managing a bone bruise.
The 24-year-old has missed seven of the Celtics' 18 playoff games so far but he did play in the final four games of the Eastern Conference Finals win over Miami Heat.
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Updates from Udoka
Williams only played for 14 minutes in Game 7 against the Heat, but Udoka is upbeat on his fitness going into the best-of-seven match-up with Golden State and is hopeful the center will be able to make an impact.
"Rob's alright," said Udoka earlier this week, as reported by CBS Sports. "He felt good. His minutes were low. He only played 14 in [Game 7 against the Miami Heat] so we tried to keep him in the lower portion if we could.
"Obviously, that's beneficial for him going forward, but the days off as well so he should feel better in general. [He's] getting looked at today, will continue to get his treatment and his rehab in order to get swelling down and some of the pain and mobility back.
"It's going to be an ongoing thing. He's day-to-day throughout the playoffs."
Defensive Player of the Year Smart missed two games against Miami with foot and ankle problems but Udoka has no worries regarding the guard's fitness ahead of the series opener against the Warriors.
He added: "Marcus, there's no concern about that. The swelling is what it is and that'll dissipate as time goes by. And the pain tolerance thing, he can obviously play through a lot, and he did that and played heavy minutes."
