BOSTON — With just six regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin, All-Star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown suffered a hand injury.
„Yeah, I think I've sprained my arm or a sprain,” Brown said Wednesday night after the Celtics' 135-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The injury kept Brown out of Monday's win at Charlotte, but he returned to the court on Wednesday, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks in 33 minutes on the floor. However, he committed a game-high five turnovers.
Brown said playing through the injury will give him and the team a better understanding and feel for the issue as the team heads into the postseason.
„I think it's good. It's something I don't care about going forward, but it bothered me a little bit tonight,” he said. „But part of it is running through it, playing through it, because if things go awry, it gives you a little bit more information. But I don't think it's anything to worry about.”
While Brown admitted the injury caused some discomfort on Wednesday, he certainly adjusted. In the fourth quarter, Brown shot 5-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc, to score 15 of his points in the final quarter. That fourth-quarter performance helped turn a 10-point Celtics lead into a 35-point victory.
Wednesday's win gave the Celtics home-court advantage throughout the postseason, so the Celtics won't have much to play for beyond the final 10 days of the regular season. That might give Brown some more rest, but based on his postgame comments, it might not be necessary.