Rondo (back) out of the lineup

RAJON RONDO Unable to run or cut (file/David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

WASHINGTON - While Celtics guard Rajon Rondo slept well, his bruised back didn't feel well when he woke up yesterday morning.

Rondo missed last night's 85-78 loss to the Wizards, and it's uncertain whether he will play in tomorrow night's rematch in Boston. Rondo injured himself taking a hard fall in Friday night's win at New Jersey. He is receiving electrical stimulation, icing his back, and taking pain medication.

Rondo expects to see Celtics doctor Brian McKeon today but wasn't certain whether he would have an MRI. The second-year Celtic said he hasn't had any previous back problems, but he wasn't able to run or cut yesterday.

"I'm hitting the floor a lot," Rondo said. "It's starting to catch up to me. I fell pretty hard. I was going full speed."

Rondo missed the game against the Lakers in Los Angeles Dec. 30 with a sore right hamstring. Combo guard Tony Allen started in Rondo's place last night and had 8 points but no assists. Rookie point guard Gabe Pruitt was activated, but did not play.

When asked about the seriousness of Rondo's injury, coach Doc Rivers said, "I don't know, actually. It's a bruise, so you just don't know how these things heal. Right now he couldn't play. It's not one of those precaution games. It's just a game he couldn't play in.

"Monday's probably doubtful. But we'll see. He's young and he heals faster than all of us."

Interested observers

When Georgetown's 7-foot-2-inch center, Roy Hibbert, surprisingly nailed the winning 3-pointer in a 72-69 victory over Connecticut at the Verizon Center yesterday, Rivers was all smiles. But Ray Allen was disappointed.

With the Celtics and Wizards playing at the same venue, Rivers and Allen were able to attend the game. Rivers's son, Jeremiah, is a sophomore guard for the Hoyas and scored 2 points in 15 minutes. Allen, who starred in college for the Huskies, sat behind their bench with another ex-UConn star, Caron Butler of the Wizards.

"The play was definitely not run for Roy Hibbert to shoot a three," Allen said. "He shot it like he had done it all [season]. It was clear that he shoots threes. But it's unfortunate because I thought [the Huskies] played hard and they did everything they could to win that game."

Rivers thought the game was going into overtime when Hibbert put up his shot. Asked if he would have called a play for Hibbert to shoot a 3-pointer, Rivers said, "It worked. It's an excellent coaching job there."

Rivers has also seen his son play against Michigan this season. With the Celtics off today, Rivers stayed overnight to spend time with his son.

"It's always great to see my father come to a game of mine, especially with the restrictions of his schedule and everything," Jeremiah Rivers said. "When we're on the road, they're on the road, so it's a rare opportunity when both of our schedules match at the same time.

"To see him here, and to even see one of his players, Ray Allen and UConn, I know they've been talking trash to each other all week, my dad said. It was great."

No jump for Big Baby

Celtics rookie Glen Davis said he's still bothered by a sore right knee. The 6-foot-9-inch, 289-pound forward missed Wednesday's loss to Charlotte with the injury. He scored 7 points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes in a win at New Jersey Friday, but was scoreless with one rebound in 10 minutes against the Wizards last night. "It's hard to jump," Davis said. "I ain't going to sit. I don't feel like [myself]." . . . The Celtics have used several players at point guard this season, including Rondo, Pruitt, Tony Allen, Ray Allen, and Eddie House. But they have another player with experience in James Posey. The versatile 6-foot-8-inch, 217-pounder actually played some time there with the Nuggets and Grizzlies during the first six seasons of his nine-year career. Posey has played small forward, shooting guard, and small forward this season. "I wouldn't have any problems with him at all," said Hall of Famer Dan Issel, who coached Posey with the Nuggets. "He's confident enough in his ballhandling. One of the things I loved about Pose when we drafted him was that he's very coachable and wants to win. He's not into individual stats and he'll do whatever you want him to do, and defensively he wouldn't have any problems guarding point guards." Posey said he would have no problems playing point guard if needed, and there is one current offensive set in which he runs the point. He said he wouldn't be surprised if he played the position at times during the second half of the season.

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com