Davis Bertans will miss the rest of the Washington Wizards’ first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers after suffering a calf strain in Monday’s win, leaving the team without a key contributor as it looks to stave off elimination.
An MRI revealed Tuesday that Bertans suffered a Grade 2 calf strain — which sideline him for the next four to six weeks.
That’s unfortunate timing for the Wizards, who trail Philadelphia 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Bertans has had an uneven season, showing up to training camp out of shape after signing a five-year, $80 million contract in the offseason. He then caught the virus and later dealt with a nagging calf injury, resulting in a total of 15 missed games. His season average fell from 15.4 points per game to 11.5.
But Bertans was particularly strong in Monday’s Game 4 — recording 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting, including going 3 of 6 from deep. The Wizards tend to be better with Bertans on the floor, benefitting from his threat as a shooter.
ESPN first reported the extent of Bertans’ injury.
Coach Scott Brooks met with reporters before Bertans’ MRI results, but indicated it “didn’t look good.”
Without Bertans, the Wizards could look to start guard Raul Neto, who started the first two games before he was benched for Bertans.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.