Celtics F Hayward out 6 weeks after hand surgery

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward had surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday, and he is expected to be out for six weeks, the team announced. The timetable potentially sets his return for Christmas Day against the reigning NBA champion Raptors in Toronto.

Hayward fractured his left hand Saturday night in the Celtics' win at San Antonio during a collision with Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He played just under 15 minutes before the incident, which occurred when Hayward was guarding Dejounte Murray and he ran into Aldridge just outside the paint with 1:34 left before the half. Aldridge drew an offensive foul, and Hayward quickly exited to the locker room nursing his left hand.

Hayward scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting before departing. The 29-year-old veteran is averaging 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The former All-Star also sustained a season-ending leg injury just one game into the 2017-18 season.

"I feel bad for anybody that goes through that, but ... this is not two years ago," coach Brad Stevens said Monday before the Celtics tipped off against the visiting Dallas Mavericks. Stevens added, "The silver lining, any time you miss games, is that you're more fresh at the end. At the end of the day, he was playing great, but we've got other guys that are ready to step up and fill the void."

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