Thomas not accustomed to sitting it out

WALTHAM, Mass. — Isaiah Thomas said it was hard for him to watch as much as he enjoyed the ending.

The Celtics point guard was sent home a day before Wednesday’s 117-87 victory in Orlando to tend to a groin injury that he acknowledged on Thursday will also keep him out for Friday night’s Atlantic Division showdown against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. He credited his teammates for playing “a hell of a game” without him, but added it was “eating me alive” to sit.

“I want to play,” he said during a World Vision Christmas party for children of families with military members stationed overseas for the holiday. “I want to be out there. But it’s the smart decision to get me to just hold out until it’s 100 percent.

“If it were a playoff game, I would be out there, for sure. But so many people I’ve talked to told me to just sit.”

Thomas said he intends to travel with the team to Oklahoma City on Saturday with the intention of returning either Sunday night against the Thunder, or Wednesday night in San Antonio.

“I can walk without a limp,” said Thomas, who did appear a bit stiff as he played games with the military children. “It’s just my game is a lot of stop and go, change of direction, so I’ve got to be very cautious of this injury because it’s something that can linger on and be worse. When I’m able to be myself out on the floor, I’ll be out there.”

Thomas said he was impressed with what he saw out of his teammates on Wednesday night as they rallied from a one-point deficit at halftime for a 30-point victory in Orlando.

“They just played Celtic basketball,” Thomas said. “That’s what we’re known for. They defended at a high level. We shared the ball at the offensive end. And guys were having fun.”

Leading the way in taking advantage of that opportunity Wednesday was second-year point guard Terry Rozier, who scored 16 points with five rebounds a n d t o o k t h e m i n u t e s Thomas would have played in the unit that largely closed out the blowout victory.

“He’s ready for that moment,” said Thomas, who also credited rookie Jaylen Brown (13 points in 21 minutes) for a big night.

“Those guys need to step up during this time, and I think they will.”