The Boston Celtics will look to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference when they face the New York Knicks on Thursday. It has been a surprising season for Boston, with expectations tempered after Jayson Tatum missed significant time earlier in the year. Despite that, the Celtics have remained among the top teams in the conference.
A major reason for that has been Jaylen Brown. Brown has taken on a leading role throughout the season, providing consistent scoring and two-way impact. He is averaging 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, helping keep Boston firmly in contention during Tatum’s absence.
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However, Brown has been dealing with an Achilles issue in recent weeks. While he managed to play in each of the Celtics’ last five games, the team has monitored his workload closely.
Ahead of Thursday’s matchup, Boston officially ruled Brown out due to left Achilles tendinitis. The decision comes with playoff positioning still at stake, as the Celtics look to secure home court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
His absence presents a challenge for the Celtics, but they will turn to Tatum, who has regained form since returning from injury. Tatum is averaging 21.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 15 games this season. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his last four outings, with a double-double in three of those games.
He will be tasked with anchoring the Celtics’ offense and his ability to control the game on both ends will be key as Boston looks to get past New Yorsk.
