Celtics' Jaylen Brown reveals he's on a minutes restriction due to lingering knee injury
Jaylen Brown had himself a solid night to help lead the Celtics to a 132-102 victory over the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday night. He looked like he was back to his usual self after missing time to a knee injury last week.
Brown played just 28 minutes overall and didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter, which wasn't a surprise considering the lopsided score at that point. It was a bit surprising though when Brown revealed he's on a minutes restriction because of his lingering knee issue.
"I'm still working my way back, just building up. I've been on a minutes restriction but still just making the right steps," he told reporters after his 24-point performance. "My body still doesn't feel 100 percent, but today was a good step in the right direction."
Brown missed three games with a bone bruise in his right knee last week, but has played in Boston's last two contests. The injury didn't seem to bother him during an incredibly efficient night from the floor in Phoenix, as Brown hit seven of his 15 shots overall and four of his nine three-point attempts. He powered through defenders with relative ease and was 3-of-5 in the paint, which included another posterizing dunk in the third quarter.
Brown dished out five assists, corralled three rebounds, and swiped a steal to go in his all-around night, and also played some solid defense on Kevin Durant. He said managing the knee injury is a new experience for him, and admitted it has been a challenge.
"I haven't really had issues with my knees ever in my career, so I'm just trying to find a good routine to make sure I'm prepared and ready to go every night," he said. "But it's definitely been a challenge mentally and stuff like that."
With just nine games remaining in the regular season, now is a great time for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to work in some rest for his All-Star swingman. Mazzulla doesn't sound too worried about the injury hampering Brown come the postseason.
"He's just a guy that, whatever he has to do to put himself in the best chance that's best for us and help us win, he does," said Mazzulla. "So for a couple games he was taking care of his knee, and now he's doing what he needs to do."
Fellow Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum missed Wednesday night's game with the ankle injury he suffered on Monday night, but it doesn't sound like he'll be sidelined long. Tatum went through a rigorous pre-game warmup after being upgraded to questionable for the game, and the expectation is he'll be back in the lineup Saturday night when the Celtics visit the San Antonio Spurs.
Celtics win seventh straight
Not having Tatum was no issue for the Celtics in Phoenix. And while Brown was solid, it was the Boston big men who really shined the brightest in the desert.
Kristaps Porzingis lead the charge with 30 points off 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three, while adding eight rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocks. Phoenix had no answer for the versatile big man in one of his most dominant performances of the season.
Veteran Al Horford was excellent as well, adding 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks over his 26 minutes of action. Overall, the Celtics shot 50.6 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from three against a Suns team that decided not to play any defense on Wednesday.
Boston has now won seven straight to match the team's longest winning streak of the season. Five of those victories have been by double digits, and the Celtics are now 4-0 on their six-game road trip.
The C's improved to 54-19 on the season with Wednesday night's victory, and sit just 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed in the East. But the health of their star players for the postseason is what matters most for Boston right now, so expect some more rest for Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis over the final two-plus weeks of the season.
