BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics were without both Paul Pierce (sore right ankle) and Kevin Garnett (left ankle inflammation) when they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at TD Garden.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Pierce should be back by Sunday, while Garnett, who sat out his eighth consecutive game, could do the same.
"I think [Pierce will] be fine by Sunday. It's just sore, so we're just not playing him," Rivers said.
Asked about Garnett's potential to return the same day, he added, "I think most likely, but I don't know that."
Garnett went through skeleton drills with the Celtics during an afternoon walk-through at the Garden. The team shut him down for two weeks in order to allow the inflammation to subside.
"He hasn't done anything on the floor with us. He's done some shooting, and today he ran through the skeleton, and he looked fine," Rivers said. "Again, that's skeleton. No contact or anything like that. He looked good. He looked exactly like Kevin, so I'm thinking he's fine."
The Celtics started a lineup Friday that featured Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox.
Backup guard Terrence Williams dislocated his right pinkie finger in Wednesday's win over the Detroit Pistons but was available.
"Play? Of course I'm playing," he said. "I don't need my right finger. It hurts. It hurts when I dribble, it hurts when I pass or catch the ball a certain way."
Later he said jokingly: "I'm going to try to play with [my right hand] behind my back. Try to play like Bob Cousy."
