The Boston Celtics got surprising good news on Jaylen Brown’s ankle injury Saturday, clearing him for Game 4 vs. the 76ers, as the Celtics look to put a stranglehold on their first-round series against Philadelphia by going up 3-1.
Brown rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Game 3 in Philadelphia. By Saturday, the Boston Celtics had answered every question about his status in the simplest way possible. The team submitted a completely clean injury report ahead of Sunday night’s Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown, along with guard Derrick White, who took a neck hit in the opening minute of the same game, is fully cleared and available, the team confirmed Saturday, according to an announcement by the Boston Celtics.
For a Celtics team one win from taking command of the series, Brown’s clean status changes everything heading into Game 4.
Brown’s Ankle a Non-Factor for Celtics
The ankle scare came with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Brown stepped on the foot of Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe during a transition drive, went down to the floor, and showed visible discomfort. But the five-time All-Star stayed in the game, helping to close out the 108-100 win.
After the game, Brown kept his response short.
“It’ll be alright,” he told reporters. The injury report Saturday night confirmed his claim.
Brown finished Game 3 with 25 points alongside Jayson Tatum, who also scored 25. Boston’s defense allowed Tyrese Maxey 31 points while limiting the rest of Philadelphia’s supporting cast. The Celtics took Game 1 by 32 points, dropped Game 2 at home 111-97, and bounced back decisively on the road to reclaim control of the best-of-seven series.
White’s neck scare was also brief as a storyline. He absorbed a hit seconds into the game, never left the floor and confirmed afterward he was fine, according to a Yahoo Sports report. He, too, carries no injury designation into Sunday’s game.
76ers Face Game 4 With Kelly Oubre Jr. Injury Concern
The contrast on the other side of the matchup is clear. While Boston enters at full strength, the 76ers head into a must-win game with a complicated injury picture. The official NBA injury report lists center Joel Embiid as doubtful for the second consecutive game. Veteran forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has been added as questionable with right adductor soreness. Tyrese Maxey is available despite a right finger tendon strain requiring a splint.
Embiid has not played since undergoing an emergency appendectomy on April 9 in Houston. He has resumed individual on-court work and participated in portions of practice, but game action remains out of reach.
“He wants to play, and we want him to play,” Philly coach Nick Nurse said last week, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The average NBA player misses 23 days following an appendectomy, according to injury data cited by Liberty Ballers. That 23-day mark lands on May 2, the date of a hypothetical Game 7. Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists across 38 regular-season games this year.
Philadelphia needs a win Sunday to avoid a 3-1 series deficit, a hole only three franchises in NBA history have overcome. Boston, healthy across the board and with Brown’s ankle concern already behind them, tips off Game 4 on Sunday night.
Celtics Get Surprising Good News on Jaylen Brown Injury Update Before Game 4