When Gordon Hayward said that his broken leg from two seasons ago made his recovery from a broken hand seem elementary, even he may not have known how true that comparison was.

The Celtics forward will take part in his first regular practice on Sunday since breaking his hand during a Nov. 9 game in San Antonio while running into a LaMarcus Aldridge pick.

The probable result of this, according to Brad Stevens, is a return to action by Hayward before the Celtics play in Toronto on Christmas.

“I would think so,” the Celtics coach said of that target. “If I were making percentages, it would be somewhere in the high 70s, low 80s. Pre-Christmas sounds about right.

“(He’s) done a lot. Did some live stuff with coaches that was controlled yesterday. He hasn’t done anything live with the guys yet.”

That, though, is about to change.

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“I think that that’s the next step,” Stevens said of Hayward’s Sunday practice plan.

“He was out there (Friday) doing live stuff with the coaches. It’s not the same as getting in there with the players. But we’ll see how it goes as each of these days pile up after that.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

MAVERICKS 130, PELICANS 84: Luka Doncic scored 28 points in 26 minutes, leading Dallas in a rout of visiting New Orleans.

The Mavericks’ 46-point win wasn’t the largest margin of victory this season – they outscored the Golden State Warriors by 48 last month.

Dallas (18-8) has won five in a row and 10 of 11 for the first time since winning is its only NBA championship in 2010-11.

Meanwhile, New Orleans is on an eight-game losing streak.


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