Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown has been dealing with a bout of lower back spasms, which has forced him to miss the last two games. In light of his ongoing back soreness, the team has elected to hold him out of Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, according to report from ESPN's Tim Bontemps:
The Celtics now say Jaylen Brown is out for tonight’s game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 5, 2019
There was some belief that Brown might be cleared to play against the Pacers, but it wasn't to be. During his media availability at Friday morning's shootaround, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens noted that Brown is feeling a bit better:
Celtics coach Brad Stevens says Jaylen Brown is feeling better today and has a chance to play tonight against the Pacers.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 5, 2019
Brown was able to participate in some one-on-one drills during Friday's practice session. The former No. 3 overall pick later confirmed that he is indeed recovering, but the team is holding him out as a precautionary measure:
Jaylen Brown says he’s feeling better than he did yesterday, and hopes to play.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 5, 2019
The Celtics are currently tied with the Pacers for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams are holding a 47-32 overall record, making Friday's game a pivotal matchup in terms of playoff seeding.
Brown has become an important piece of Boston's rotation, to be sure. He has made 72 appearances with the team this season (24 starts), racking up averages of 13.0 points on 46.3% shooting from the field (34.2% from beyond the arc), 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and just under one steal (0.9) in 26.0 minutes per outing.
Friday night's Celtics-Pacers game is scheduled to tip inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse at 8:00 p.m. ET, with ESPN having live broadcast coverage.
Marcus Morris has been upgraded from out to questionable with knee soreness.
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