Celtics' Isaiah Thomas: Will return Monday

Thomas (knee) will return to action Monday against the Wizards, Celtics' play-by-plan man Sean Grande reports.

Analysis:

A bone bruise on his right knee kept Thomas out of action Friday in Brooklyn and Saturday in Philadelphia, but the diminutive point guard will be back at his usual starting point guard spot Monday, meaning Marcus Smart will likely shift back to the bench. Thomas, the NBA's second-leading scorer, is averaging 29.2 points and 6.0 assists per game on the season. His numbers have been down a bit in March -- 26.4 points, 4.6 assists per game -- but he still remains of the most explosive scorers in the league on a night-to-night basis. Per Scott Souza of the Providence Journal, Thomas is not expected to face any sort of minutes restriction.