Celtics' Bradley unlikely to join team on upcoming 3-game road trip due to elbow sprain

The Boston Celtics already knew they would be without guard Avery Bradley for Friday's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it now looks like the 24-year-old won't accompany the team for the entirety of its road trip. 

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens expects Bradley to sit the next three games with a sprained left elbow, which he hyperextended in Wednesday's win over the Utah Jazz. 

Bradley has helped the Celtics stay surprisingly close in the playoff hunt thanks to the abysmal Eastern Conference. The team enters Friday two games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the No. 8 seed in the East, despite a 24-35 record. 

While Bradley's an inconsistent scorer, he's a threat from long range and has started all 58 games he's played this season. Bradley, averaging a career-high 1.6 3-pointers per game, has struggled in three March contests, but was coming off the best month of his season. 

In 11 February games, Bradley averaged 18.3 points on 47.4 percent shooting from the field, while connecting on 40.4 percent of his long-range shots. 

Boston is likely to insert one of Jae Crowder or Isaiah Thomas into the starting five while Bradley is out. Thomas, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is averaging 20.1 points and 5.4 assists off the bench in seven games since joining the Celtics.