Celtics to Give Paul Pierce Time Off?

They might not have any other choice, thanks to his busted up right thumb: “Pierce was 2 for 10 against Denver, making his biggest contributions on defense, blocking four shots. But he said the nagging injury to his shooting hand has limited him. ‘It’s sore right now,’ Pierce said. ‘It’s affecting my shot a lot. Right now, I’m not really looking to be aggressive with it. I’m just trying to do the other little things to help this ball club and hopefully in the next few days it’ll get better.’ Pierce already has missed seven games this season with knee and foot problems, and coach Doc Rivers said he’s considering giving the forward more time off to mend. ‘You can see it on free throws,’ Rivers said, alluding to Pierce’s 1-for-4 afternoon from the line. ‘I think the thumb, the knee, and the foot, it may have caught up to him right now. We may have to look at giving him some rest. I don’t know yet, but on the surface that’s the way it looks like it’s going.’ In his last six games, Pierce is 23 of 66 from the floor and 5 of 22 from 3-point range. He didn’t make a shot in the second and third quarters yesterday.”