The Celtics have the ability to stay cautious with their top talent during the home stretch of the regular season thanks to their position in the standings. Jaylen Brown looks like a candidate for that treatment after the Celtics 103-92 win over the Pelicans on Saturday night.
The All-Star forward played well throughout the victory, posting 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a terrific all-around performance as Boston pulled away in the second half. However, Brown looked to be in pain numerous times throughout the contest with various ailments across his body. He favored his knee on one possession after a slip and fall. A short time later, he was seen flexing his left hand following a turnover. Beyond those issues, Brown revealed that he’s still dealing with back pain, something that popped up on the injury report for him earlier this month.
Brown attempted to downplay all of the injuries after the game but acknowledged he would be giving the lingering hand injury some attention after the team’s road trip.
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“I’m going to get that looked at when we get back to Boston,” Brown told reporters in New Orleans. “But, it’s been bothering me for a little bit now.”
Saturday’s win marked the first time in several weeks that Boston had their top six players healthy together after a healthy dose of mixing and matching in recent weeks. That trend could continue if Brown wants to heal up some of these lingering issues before the start of the postseason in three weeks.
Boston improved to 58-16 with the Pelicans win and now hold a 6.5-game lead over the Timberwolves and Thunder for the best record in the NBA. With just eight regular season games, Boston’s magic number to clinch the top spot is three, something they can easily do without Brown.
There’s little doubt the likes of Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis will get a lighter workload in the coming weeks to maximize their rest before the postseason grind. Brown looks like a strong candidate to be added to that list given the number of minor issues he’s dealing with.
