BOSTON — For 12 hours, there appeared to be a chance that Rajon Rondo would return to the court earlier than expected for the pivotal Game 5 of the Bulls’ series against the Boston Celtics. He was shooting without a cast on his injured right thumb at practice on Tuesday, and according to multiple reports, held a private workout after the team landed in Boston to test his readiness to play with the series tied 2-2 heading into Wednesday’s game.
Rondo dashed those hopes swiftly at the Bulls’ morning shootaround at TD Garden, saying unequivocally that he’s not going to suit up on Wednesday.