ORLANDO — Jaylen Brown is available to play in Sunday’s Game 4 between the Celtics and the Magic, the Celtics announced an hour ahead of tip-off.
Brown was not on the injury report for the team’s first two playoff games, but was listed as questionable with a right knee impingement ahead of Game 3. He played in that game, scoring 19 points on 7-14 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds.
After the game, Brown declined to share much information about his knee, simply stating: “[I’m] taking it one day at a time.
Through three playoff games, Brown is averaging 23.7 points on 53.2% from the field and 54.5% from three.
No Jrue Holiday for the second straight playoff game
Jrue Holiday, meanwhile, will miss his second consecutive playoff game with a right hamstring strain. Joe Mazzulla said on Saturday that Holiday is day-to-day.
Payton Pritchard said on Sunday that everyone on the Celtics will have to step up in Holiday’s absence, while Al Horford has maintained that the Celtics are equipped to have other guys step up in Holiday’s absence.
In a Zoom media availability on Saturday, Mazzulla detailed the “endless” intangibles that Holiday brings to the table.
“The mentality that he plays with, the selflessness that he plays with, but the physicality and the toughness and defensive versatility, his ability to guard different positions, his ability to pressure the basketball, his ability to take tendencies from individual D and just make winning plays, whether it’s our offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, screening,” Mazzulla said, rattling down a seemingly never-ending list. “[He’s] another ball handler to have out there versus pressure, and then in transition, he can create advantages for others with his screening and pace.”
