Chris Forsberg, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Marcus Smart (ankle) out vs. Bulls

The Boston Celtics announced Thursday that rookie guard Marcus Smart will sit out Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls.

Smart, working his way back from a left ankle injury, returned to practice on Wednesday, but was a limited participant after removing himself early in the session.

"I think, obviously, you want him to be as close to pre-injury [health] as possible, otherwise he shouldn’t be full-go," Stevens said before Wednesday's practice. "Is there a transition period? Absolutely. But sometimes in those first couple days, you’re so excited to be back out that you actually play pretty darn well. So it’s just a matter of him getting back out here and it’s more about the conditioning than anything else right now, just because he hasn’t done anything on the court, physically, as far as 5-on-5, in the last three weeks."

Smart suffered a severe sprain and bone bruising after stepping awkwardly on a defender's foot while driving at the basket against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 7. Despite being stretchered off the court, the team set a return timeline of 2-3 weeks and had recently begun targeting Friday's game, particularly with four days off preceding Chicago's visit.

In five appearances, Smart, the No. 6 overall pick in June's draft, is averaging 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals over 20.4 minutes per game. Boston is 2-5 since his injury.

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