Jaylen Brown Out Again For Celtics, Aiming To Be Healthy For Playoffs
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jaylen Brown was really hoping to be back on the floor for Boston's must-win tilt with the Indiana Pacers on Friday. But the guard will miss his third straight game after tweaking his back on Monday.
Brown was optimistic that he might return during the team's shoot-around in Indiana on Friday morning, but the team ruled him out for the contest shortly after the session concluded. He doesn't think the injury will be a long-term issue, and is OK with the team taking a cautious approach with the playoffs just around the corner.
"They don't want it to be a problem coming into the Playoffs. So, to risk playing now -- of course it's a must-win game, but if I risk injuring it further it could possibly lead into the playoffs, and that's what we don't want," Brown told reporters before being ruled out. "So, it's definitely about having a game plan, being smart and executing it. That's what's important."
Brown suffered the injury during Monday's shoot-around when he bent down to pick up a ball. After Wednesday night's win in Miami, he told reporters that he couldn't turn without using his whole body due to the pain in his back.
It's unfortunate timing for the 22-year-old, who is coming off his best stretch of the season. Brown shot 50 percent from the floor over his 15 games in March, averaging 14.2 points. After struggling from three-point range for much of the season, he hit 42 percent of his shots from downtown last month.
We'll see if Brown can return Sunday night when the Celtics host the Orlando Magic, or if he has to wait until their regular season finale Tuesday when the Wizards come to Boston. But it doesn't sound like this injury will linger into the postseason.
While Brown is out Friday, the Celtics may get Marcus Morris back in the rotation. Morris was upgraded to questionable after initially being ruled out on Friday morning. Morris missed Wednesday's win in Miami with right knee soreness.
The Celtics and Pacers are currently tied in the standings, with the Celtics holding onto the four-seed in the Eastern Conference by way of tiebreakers.
