Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight against Atlanta Hawks? Latest on 2x All-Star's status (Nov. 26)
Jaylen Brown gets a chance to bounce back from his off night against the Orlando Magic, as he has been cleared to play for the Boston Celtics against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. Jaylen Brown is not listed in the Celtics' injury report ahead of their homestand against the Hawks at the TD Garden in Boston.
However, two key Boston Celtics are on the list — Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Porzingis has been ruled out for the game due to his calf injury, while Holiday, who is nursing an ankle injury, is currently listed as questionable against the Atlanta Hawks; he also sat out the previous matchup against the Orlando Magic.
Kristaps Porzingis nears return
Kristaps Porzingis gave a positive development in his recovery from his left calf strain.
In an Instagram story, he said:
"Good news this morning. Be back very soon. Now cold tub time."
Porzingis suffered the left calf strain during the third quarter of the Celtics' previous game against the Magic, but he has hinted that the calf strain is not serious.
Joe Mazzulla on Jaylen Brown's struggles, Celtics' off night from long-range
Jaylen Brown began the game between the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic 4-of-6 from the field but only made two of his next 16 shots and only had 18 points. The Celtics as a whole struggled from beyond the arc, only making 7-of-29 triples.
However, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stressed that how they should have responded after the missed shots matters more.
Mazzulla said (via ESPN):
“You're definitely frustrated when you're not making shots, but at the end of the day, it goes back to two things: transition (defense) and the offensive rebounds."
The Magic outrebounded the Celtics, 48-31, and had more offensive rebounds, 13-4. Also, the Magic, despite having more turnovers than the Celtics, capitalized more on their opponents' errors with 25 points off turnovers against the Celtics' 14.
On the other hand, Jayson Tatum sees having to play undermanned as a challenge to moving forward this regular season.
Tatum said (via ESPN):
“Obviously we’re a much better team when everybody’s healthy. But throughout the course of the season, there’s going to be nights where you know certain guys are out. We can’t use that as an excuse for why we didn’t win the game. We’ve still got to figure out a way to get the job done.”
With Porzingis to sit out against the Hawks, the Celtics get a chance to challenge themselves with their injury issues and for Jaylen Brown to explode anew.