Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown reacts after a dunk against the Phoenix Suns in the second half of an NBA game on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown received a pain-relief injection in his right knee as he continues to manage a bone bruise, according to a report from ESPN. The injury has caused Brown to miss Boston’s last two games and kept him sidelined for seven games in March. Despite the setback, he is expected to be ready for the start of the Celtics’ playoff run next weekend.
Brown’s most recent appearance came Tuesday night against the Knicks, where he logged a season-low 22 minutes in the overtime victory. He had a tough outing, finishing with just six points on 2-of-8 shooting and committing three turnovers. Although he had been on a minutes restriction over the past two weeks, he had been approaching the 30-minute mark in recent games before his playing time dropped to 22 minutes in matchups against both the Knicks and Wizards this week.
“We got what we needed from him as he keeps pushing and testing himself,” Joe Mazzulla said following the game against the Knicks. “There are still games left, and we saw what we needed to see, so we’ll keep moving forward.”
Brown discussed his injury in detail last Friday after dropping 31 points in a win over the Suns. Despite the Celtics having already secured their position in the Eastern Conference standings, he had continued to play in several recent games with no bearing on the team’s playoff seeding.
“I’m hoping to continue feeling better,” Brown said. “But there’s no guarantee that rest or anything else will actually fix this, so I’m just working through it and preparing for the playoffs.”
Some of his teammates expressed concern about him playing through the injury, especially after his struggles on Tuesday night.
“He’s a tough guy,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “He always talks about having a warrior mentality, and he really lives by that. But the question is, do we need that right now? Maybe he should focus on getting fully healthy so he’s ready for the key moments ahead.”
“I think we just need to encourage him to do whatever it takes to get healthy and ready for what’s ahead,” Porzingis added. “He’s a smart guy, so I believe he will. It just shows how much heart he has and how badly he wants to be on the court—even in games that don’t mean a lot for us at this point. That’s just who he is, and I really respect that.”
Brown and the Celtics are set to begin their first-round playoff series against either the Magic or Hawks on April 19 or 20 at TD Garden.
