Jaylen Brown Hopes To Play In Game 1 Vs. 76ers
BOSTON (CBS) -- A hamstring injury forced Celtics guard Jaylen Brown out of Saturday night's Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
But he's optimistic that he'll be good-to-go when Boston starts the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Brown left in the second quarter after tweaking his hamstring and did not return. He rode a stationary bike on the sideline in the second half, and was cleared to return, but Celtics head coach Brad Stevens did not want to risk making things worse.
"We had it, so I got the rest I needed," Brown said after Boston's 112-96 win over the Bucks.
Brown said he was still sore after the game and will undergo an MRI on Sunday. He'll be getting plenty of massages and icing the hammy leading up to Monday night's Game 1. He's even taking anti-inflammatories, which he said he hates doing.
"I probably haven't taken a pill in over 10 years." he told reporters. "But whatever it takes, because I wouldn't miss this next series for the world."
The Celtics will certainly need Brown against the three-seeded 76ers, as the 21-year-old wing has become an important piece on both the offensive and defensive end in just his second NBA season. He averaged 17.9 points per game and 4.7 rebounds against the Bucks.
For a Celtics team that has been hit with key injuries throughout the season, it's good to hear Brown so confident that he'll be out there for Game 1. But as always with injuries, we'll have to wait and see the prognosis after Sunday's MRI.