Jaylen Brown Out At Least Two Games With Bone Bruise
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been ruled out for at least two games after being diagnosed with a bone bruise with posterior impingement in his right knee, according to the team (Twitter link).
Brown will miss Friday’s contest in Utah and Sunday’s in Portland before being reevaluated on Monday. It’s unclear whether he’ll be available for the rest of the Celtics’ road trip, which includes games in Sacramento (March 24), Phoenix (March 26), San Antonio (March 29), and Memphis (March 31).
Brown also sat out on March 6 and March 14 due to his right knee issue, which was referred to at that time as simply “posterior impingement” — both of those games were part of back-to-back sets.
While Brown’s reevaluation timeline suggests the injury isn’t considered a significant one, it makes sense for the Celtics to keep him sidelined for at least a couple games if they believe that extra rest will help him get closer to 100%. Boston’s 50-19 record puts the team six games behind the top-seeded Cavaliers and six games up on the No. 3 Knicks, so the priority at this point is getting healthy for the postseason rather than fighting for a playoff seed.
Brown has averaged 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.3 minutes per game across 56 outings (all starts) this season. He’s a candidate for a spot on an All-NBA team, but his eligibility will hinge on whether his knee ailment keeps him on the shelf beyond Sunday. After missing the Celtics’ next two games, the 28-year-old will have to play in at least nine of the final 11 to meet the 65-game criteria.
Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Pritchard, Tatum, Brown
The Celtics didn’t provide many details about the viral illness that forced Kristaps Porzingis to miss the last eight games, and it turns out that even Porzingis wasn’t sure what he was dealing with, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
After returning for Saturday’s 115-113 win at Brooklyn, Porzingis told reporters it was “extremely frustrating” to not have a definite diagnosis. He described it as an upper respiratory condition that eventually morphed into possibly bronchitis or mononucleosis.
“But I haven’t been this sick for probably ever in my life,” he said. “So I was really, for a week really just laying at home trying to recover. And after that I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit — but at least I’m not getting into shape to be able to play. But after each workout I was, boom, big crash. I was really, really fatigued. Like, not normal. So, yeah, it’s taking a little bit longer, but I’m doing everything, all my bio-hacking stuff that I know, and just trying to get back in the best shape possible.”
Porzingis added that he tried to prepare for several games, including last Saturday’s meeting with the Lakers in Boston, but he would “crash” and quickly get drained of energy. He offered an explanation on social media to fans on Monday to help them understand his condition.
He was able to play 32 minutes tonight, finishing with 24 points, and remained on the court for nearly the entire fourth quarter. He’ll find out tomorrow if there are any lingering effects from the illness, but for now he’s happy to be able to contribute again.
“As the game went on, I felt better and better,” Porzingis said. “I kind of had a little crash in the third but I pushed through it and in the fourth had a great fourth. Yeah, it was a close one, but I’m happy we got it done.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Payton Pritchard has set an NBA record for the most three-pointers off the bench in a season, Bontemps adds. Pritchard, who hasn’t started a single game in 2024/25, sank five long-distance shots tonight, giving him 220 for the year and pushing him past Wayne Ellington.
- Jayson Tatum played Friday and tonight, even though he was listed as questionable for both ends of the back-to-back due to knee issues, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston has been resting its regulars in preparation for the playoffs, but Tatum admitted he’s stubborn when it comes to sitting out games. “A lot of head-butting for sure,” he said. “I’ve always said that I’m still young, but I just turned 27, I understand the balance of being fresh and stuff, ready for hopefully a long playoff run. I’ve talked about the value that I’ve put into playing in road games. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate, too. When I come in arenas, I see a lot of Tatum ‘0’ jerseys and kids with my shoes on. I understand they might be for their birthday or Christmas gift or whatever, and I try to stay ready and play as much and often as I can, and especially games on the road.”
- Back spasms forced Jaylen Brown to leave tonight’s game midway through the third quarter, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Brown sat out Friday’s contest in Miami and was listed as questionable for today due to a right knee posterior impingement.
Kristaps Porzingis Returns From Viral Illness
Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will return for Saturday’s game against Brooklyn after battling an illness for several weeks. Boston is listing Porzingis as available on its injury report (Twitter link).
This will be the first game action for Porzingis since February 26. He missed the past eight contests with a viral illness and provided details of his recovery process earlier this week.
Porzingis has only appeared in 32 games this season, so he’ll fall well short of the 65-game requirement to qualify for postseason awards. He was unavailable for the first few weeks while recovering from offseason surgery and didn’t make his season debut until November 25.
The Celtics have been careful with Porzingis’ health — keeping him out of back-to-back games — in an effort to make sure he’s injury-free heading into the playoffs. He has remained effective in his limited playing time, averaging 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per night while shooting 47.4% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are both dealing with knee issues, have also been upgraded to available. Al Horford and Derrick White will be inactive, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive, as the Celtics are playing for the second straight night after defeating Miami on Friday.
Celtics Notes: Sixers Game, Pritchard, White, Walsh
Tonight’s nationally televised game between Boston and Philadelphia will be lacking in star power. The Celtics (Twitter links) have ruled out Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement), Al Horford (left big toe sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), while Jrue Holiday remains sidelined with a broken finger on his right hand (mallet finger).
Both Jayson Tatum (right shoulder impingement) and Sam Hauser (right ankle sprain) are questionable to suit up, per the team.
The banged-up Sixers, who have already lost Joel Embiid, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon for the season, will be without Paul George this evening due to left groin soreness, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter). George, who has battled a variety of injuries in 2024/25, was previously listed as questionable.
Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain) and Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) are also out for the 76ers, while Justin Edwards is questionable with a left ankle sprain, according to the league’s latest injury report.
Thursday is the second end of a back-to-back for Boston; Philadelphia last played on Tuesday.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Guards Payton Pritchard and Derrick White made history in Wednesday’s 10-point victory over Portland, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. In addition to becoming the first Celtics duo to score 40-plus points in the same game, they also became the first tandem in NBA history to each make at least nine three-pointers in the same contest. Both players set career highs in points and threes made, with Pritchard (43 and 10) slightly edging White (41 and nine). They were both extremely efficient — Pritchard shot 14-of-20 and chipped in 10 rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes, while White was 14-of-26 and also had three rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Remarkably, they only combined for one turnover.
- Second-year forward Jordan Walsh was a surprise contributor in yesterday’s win, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. The 21-year-old has only averaged 8.0 minutes per game in 41 appearances this season, but he matched a season high by playing 21 minutes against the Blazers. As Robb writes, Walsh hadn’t played at all in three of the five games leading up to Wednesday’s contest, in part due to the signing of veteran Torrey Craig. However, Walsh was ahead of Craig on the depth chart yesterday and got an opportunity for playing time with Tatum, Porzingis and Holiday out.
- After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla explained Walsh’s increased workload. He finished with three points and six rebounds. “Just with guys out, opportunity is there,” Mazzulla said, per Robb. “His ability to defend in individual defense, these guys do a great job of breaking guys down, and he’s really gotten better at that, and we needed someone who offensive rebounds. I think he got two big ones in the first half, I think he ended up with one more there, so just continuing to get better. It’s an opportunity to get him out there and make sure he continues to grow defensively and rebounding.”
Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Hauser, Porzingis, Holiday
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 83 points on 61 shots in Friday’s loss to Cleveland, but Brown thought they should have shot even more considering the circumstances, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Celtics were missing Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday due to injuries, limiting their options on offense. Still, the Cavaliers rarely threw double teams at Brown or Tatum.
“They don’t want to help,” Brown said. “They were trying to take away our spacing and our shooting, so they were just staying home on us instead of trying to make us make the reads and pass. So that means we’ve got to dominate every time down the floor. I feel like I let them off the hook maybe a few times where I could have used some shot fakes, some possessions I definitely would have back. But for the most part, we were aggressive, and that was key for us.
“But different games, we’ll see different game plans each and every night. Sometimes they blitz, sometimes they (double team), sometimes they do different things. When I had the ball or when Jayson had the ball tonight, they for the most part stayed home. We’ve got to make them pay.”
Tatum’s 37 shots were five more than his previous high for a regulation game. Himmelsbach speculates that so much shooting may have tired out Tatum, who missed all four of his three-point attempts in the second half.
There’s more from Boston:
- The Cavs targeted Sam Hauser on defense, frequently forcing him to try to stay in front of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, Himmelsbach adds. Cleveland was 12-of-26 during the game with Hauser as the primary defender, and coach Joe Mazzulla was happy with how he responded to the challenge. “(Hauser) has been a great defender in the league for the last two or three years and earned a reputation for that,” Mazzulla said, “and so the confidence comes from having him in the game, being able to defend.”
- Porzingis and Holiday are both listed as doubtful for Sunday afternoon’s game against Denver, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. Porzingis is sidelined with a non-COVID illness, while Holiday is dealing with a mallet finger injury on his right hand that he suffered in Wednesday’s game. Both players are considered day-to-day. Brown, who sat out Wednesday due to thigh soreness, is questionable due to pain in his right knee. Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and Jordan Walsh all practiced today with the Maine Celtics in anticipation of playing on Sunday, Robb adds.
- One of the few disappointments for the Celtics in the past two years is the failure of their developmental prospects to earn rotation minutes, Robb states in a mailbag column. He notes that as the roster gets more expensive, Walsh, Drew Peterson, Baylor Scheierman and JD Davison will eventually have to be replaced if they can’t make greater contributions.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Robinson, Towns, Raptors
Celtics star Jaylen Brown suffered a bone bruise in his left quad during Tuesday’s victory over Toronto. After the game, he told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link) that he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d play in Wednesday’s back-to-back in Detroit.
After initially being listed as questionable, Brown was later ruled out against the red-hot Pistons, who have won seven straight games, one more than Boston’s current streak. Center Luke Kornet will also miss his second straight game due to personal reasons, per the Celtics (Twitter link).
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- The Knicks are optimistic that Mitchell Robinson will be able to make his season debut this weekend, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York plays two games this weekend, on Friday vs. Memphis and on Sunday against Miami. Assuming he keeps progressing without issue, either date is a possibility for Robinson to make his first appearance of 2024/25 following offseason ankle surgery, according to Begley.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau stated after Tuesday’s practice that Robinson was “projected to be the starting center on the team.” On Wednesday, Thibodeau clarified that Robinson will not immediately enter the starting lineup — he was referring to before the season began, and presumably before New York’s blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, as James L. Edwards III of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Towns, the Knicks big man was ruled out of Wednesday’s game after having his left knee flare up near the end of Sunday’s loss to Boston. He was initially listed as questionable. Rookie center Ariel Hukporti will get his first career start in Towns’ stead, per Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic lists several Raptors trends to monitor for the remainder of the season, as well as some to ignore. Koreen is keeping close tabs on Immanuel Quickley‘s three-point volume and accuracy, Gradey Dick‘s defense, and the overall play of Ochai Agbaji. On the other hand, he says the team’s defensive rating and RJ Barrett‘s dip in offensive efficiency aren’t particularly important as the season winds down.
And-Ones: Award Eligibility, Towns, Vincent, Brown, WNBA, Dunk Contest
A key requirement for NBA postseason awards is 65 games played and 20 or more minutes per game, though there are some exceptions to the rule. According to Clippers reporter Justin Russo (Twitter link), a majority of the players in the league will fall short of that baseline.
There are 524 players currently in the NBA and only 148 remain eligible, according to Russo. Among the current eligible players, only 108 are on pace to play 65 games. Russo provides a comprehensive spreadsheet on the eligibility of players throughout the league.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Lakers guard Gabe Vincent were elected by the Players Association’s Board of Representatives as vice presidents on the NBPA Executive Committee, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Additionally, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was reelected as a VP.
- Cleveland is likely to be awarded the next WNBA franchise, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reports. The new franchise will begin play in 2028. Multiple sources told Friend that Cleveland’s approximate bid was a league record $250MM. An official announcement is expected no later than March. The WNBA is also considering scrapping its original plan of adding one team and could award one or two more franchises to bring its league total to 18 clubs. Philadelphia, Houston, Nashville, Detroit and Miami are the other cities in the running for a franchise.
- Mac McClung‘s three straight triumphs in the annual Dunk Contest on All-Star weekend proves that the event doesn’t need star power, Jason Jones of The Athletic opines. Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed some interest on social media of participating in next year’s competition but Jones argues that it’s more important to have entrants who are passionate about the art of dunking and performing on a grand stage.
Stephen Curry Named All-Star MVP; Shaq’s Team Wins Mini-Tournament
Stephen Curry was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player, Octagon Basketball tweets. Curry was a member of the victorious Shaq’s OGs squad.
Shaq’s OGs defeated Candace’s Rising Stars 42-35 in the semifinals of the four-team mini-tournament. In the final, they faced Chuck’s Global Stars, who had defeated Kenny’s Young Stars 41-32 in the other semifinal. Shaq’s OGs downed Chuck’s Global Stars, 41-25, for the championship.
Shaq’s squad also featured Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jaylen Brown. Anthony Davis was originally chosen for the squad but was sidelined by an adductor injury and was replaced by Irving.
LeBron James was also on the team but was a late scratch, as he rested his sore ankle and foot.
The championship-winning players received $125K apiece. Each player on Chuck’s team received $5oK, while all other participants collected $25K.
NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Game Rosters
The 24 players selected for the 2025 All-Star Game were drafted on a Thursday pre-game TNT show by coaches Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, and later announced by the NBA (Twitter link).
The players were previously sorted into groups of starters and reserves, but that had no bearing on their team placement for the new mini-tournament in this year’s game.
Below are each team’s selections, sorted in order of pick:
Team Shaq
- LeBron James, Lakers
- Stephen Curry, Warriors
- Anthony Davis, Mavericks
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics
- Kevin Durant, Suns
- Damian Lillard, Bucks
- James Harden, Clippers
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics
O’Neal had the first overall pick in the televised draft, selecting James, who holds the record for most All-Star appearances in a career. For the most part, O’Neal opted for the “old guard” of the NBA, so to speak. His team has a whopping 87 All-Star appearances (including this year) among its eight players.
The roster also unites a handful of players. Durant spent this week in trade rumors, with reports indicating he didn’t want to be traded to Curry’s Warriors. The two players were teammates for three seasons. This also will mark the first time James and Davis will play together since the blockbuster move that brought Doncic to L.A. Additionally, Curry, James, Durant, Tatum and Davis all played together on the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic Team.
Team Kenny
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies
- Jalen Williams, Thunder
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers
- Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons
- Tyler Herro, Heat
In contrast to O’Neal’s roster, Smith opted for some of the younger stars across the league. Smith’s team has a combined 13 All-Star nods to their name — Williams, Mobley, Cunningham and Herro are all first-timers. Smith united a pair of Cavaliers, with Mobley and Garland joining forces.
Team Chuck
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
- Pascal Siakam, Pacers
- Alperen Sengun, Rockets
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
Barkley went for a mix of experience in his group. He secured the top three expected players in the MVP race this season between Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander. He also landed Wembanyama with the 12th overall pick. Barkley’s group has a combined 35 All-Star honors, with Sengun and Wembanyama as first-time All-Stars and Antetkounmpo (nine) and Jokic (seven) leading the way.
A fourth team coached by Candace Parker will play in the tournament. She’ll be coaching whichever team wins this year’s Rising Stars Challenge — those rosters were announced earlier this week. Two teams will meet in a semifinal (game one) while the other two also play each other (game two). The winning team from each game moves on to the final round.
The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.
Kyrie Irving, LeBron James Talk Doncic/Davis Mega-Deal
Following Tuesday’s loss two-point loss in Philadelphia, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving talked at length about the blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic become a member of the Lakers and Anthony Davis head to Dallas.
“Just really shocked, and you just don’t imagine that you’re going to get ready to go to sleep, and then you find out news like that. It’s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano,” Irving said of Doncic, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). “We had a lot of time together, Kieff (Markieff Morris) too, and Maxi (Kleber). We built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court.”
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Irving wasn’t asked a single question about Tuesday’s game, with all of the focus on his reaction to the trade. Irving reiterated multiple times that he was still trying to process the news, which broke late Saturday night.
“This is a business, it’s way above my pay grade, and I’ve just got to adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms and kind of be ready to go back to Dallas, too, to speak in front of our fans,” Irving said. “I know they are feeling it, too. I’m feeling it too, guys. So, yeah, it’s just an adjustment period. I don’t want to downplay this either, or disrespect our new guys. They’re going to help us win, and help us build toward a championship, but just like everyone else at home, when you kind of see it from afar, it hurts.”
“This is a weird case in NBA history to be a part of,” Irving said later (story via Christian Clark of The Athletic). “At the same time, it’s the nature of our business. It is a ruthless business. So you have to be able to pick up the pieces. Still run toward the championship. That’s the ultimate goal on why I play. Having other guys who are championship guys helps, too. But at the same time, we have to acknowledge that our little Slovenian president is no longer here and we have to adjust.”
According to Bontemps, Irving also spoke about his last season in Boston back in 2018/19, when Davis was a frequently rumored target of the Celtics. Irving said the plan at the time was for him to team with Davis, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum, though that obviously didn’t happen — he and Durant both signed with Brooklyn in 2019 free agency, while Davis wound up being traded to Los Angeles.
“Yeah. That has no foreshadowing either, on anything, guys. Just letting you know right now,” Irving said with a laugh, referring to speculation swirling around Suns star Durant ahead of Thursday’s 2:00 pm CT trade deadline. “We were discussing in 2018, just for everybody at home that’s watching, because I know all of these words are going to be looked at.
“But yeah, in 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, KD to be on one team and still keep JT and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren’t ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that once they found out. It wasn’t [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way.”
After Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, Lakers superstar LeBron James said he was completely caught off guard by the three-team mega-deal as well and confirmed that he had no idea it was in the works, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays.
“My emotions were all over the place, obviously,” James said. “We had just come off a big win, a huge win in the Garden. I was out. I mean, you guys have seen the report. I was out with my family at dinner and got the news, and the first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD called me, AD FaceTimed me and I talked to him for quite a while, and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real.”
Even though he was shocked by the trade, James said he was fully on board with having Doncic on the roster and that he was “committed to the Lakers organization,” McMenamin adds.
“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said. “I think you guys know that. And I’ve always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now, we’re teammates. So it’ll be a very seamless transition.”