Boston’s Jaylen Brown expects to play Tuesday night despite reopening a wound on his right hand during the Celtics’ Game 1 win. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
Jaylen Brown reopened the laceration on his right hand during the Celtics’ 120-114 win in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. It does not appear that will have any impact on his status for Game 2 on Tuesday.
Brown took the floor with his teammates for practice on Monday and did not have any restrictions, according to Coach Joe Mazzulla. He didn’t receive any stitches after reopening the wound. He had five stitches removed last week after suffering the injury during a household accident watering plants.
Brown had a team-high 29 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1. He also had a team-high six turnovers.
“It’s a constant adjustment,” Brown said Saturday. “Making sure I get a good grip on the ball. I had six turnovers tonight so I’ve definitely gotta clean that up. That’s really it.”
Brown doesn’t think the injury will have much impact on his play moving forward.
“Especially with the adrenaline of the game, you kind of just get it going,” Brown said after the win. “At times throughout the game I had to readjust it and stuff like that. Had a lot of padding on it so it’s a different feel shooting the ball. Just adjusting and adapting to the game, that’s it.”
AWARDS: Nobody blocked more shots per game, nor had better defensive numbers at the rim this season, than Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr.
And voters noticed.
The Memphis big man was named as the NBA’s defensive player of the year, becoming the second player to win the award while wearing a Grizzlies’ uniform. He joins Marc Gasol in that club, after the Spaniard did it a decade ago.
Jackson led the league with 3.0 blocks per game this season, after finishing fifth in the defensive player of the year voting last season. He got 56 first-place votes and 391 voting points to finish ahead of runner-up Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, who got 31 first-place votes and 309 points. Cleveland’s Evan Mobley – in just his second NBA season – was third with eight first-place votes and 101 points.
“Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way,” Jackson said on the TNT broadcast that announced the award.
The shooting percentage that Jackson allowed at the rim – 46.9% – was the best in the league among those with at least 300 shots defended there, and was an obvious plus on Memphis’ path to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
“Hands down, no-brainer, JJ’s definitely defensive player of the year,” Memphis Coach Taylor Jenkins said earlier this month.
INJURIES: Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer expressed cautious optimism regarding the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo after the two-time MVP left Milwaukee’s Eastern Conference playoff opener with a bruised lower back.
Antetokounmpo isn’t the only prominent player already dealing with a health issue after the first weekend of the playoffs. Injuries to some of the NBA’s top stars have dimmed the start of the postseason, with title hopes possibly fading just as quickly depending on how bad they’re hurt.
Budenholzer said Monday that Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI after the game that revealed “everything’s clean.” The Bucks lost 130-117 to the Miami Heat on Sunday and trail the best-of-7 series 1-0 heading into Game 2 on Wednesday night.
“I would say he’s still sore, but I think progress,” Budenholzer said. “He’s getting some treatment. I think we’ll just continue to monitor him for the next day or two. We’re probably fortunate that (we have) two days between games. I think (we’re) still mostly positive, mostly optimistic, but we’ll see how he feels over the next day or two.”
Injuries over the span of a couple hours Sunday also sidelined two-time All-Star Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro, keeping them from finishing their playoff openers.
Anthony Davis scared Los Angeles Lakers fans by grabbing at his right shoulder and saying he couldn’t move his arm. Luckily for the Lakers, Davis rebounded from a stinger and returned for the start of the third quarter of their 128-112 victory over the Grizzlies.
Both Antetokounmpo and Morant were hurt on drives to the basket where each landed awkwardly.
Antetokounmpo came down hard on his backside after being fouled by Miami’s Kevin Love. The Bucks’ forward got up slowly with 4:13 left in the first quarter. He picked up his second foul about 2 1/2 minutes later but played about 11 minutes for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.
The Bucks went on to lose 130-117 to Miami. Herro broke his right hand late in the second quarter, apparently while diving for a loose ball. The Heat disclosed the severity of his injury at halftime.
Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra said Herro, seen with a cast on his hand after the game, won’t play Game 2 on Wednesday night and the Heat will figure out what to do next.
“I got the same diagnosis that you all heard,” Spoelstra said.
Morant came into Sunday’s first-round Western Conference series with his right hand already bandaged after being hurt in a win that clinched the No. 2 seed for the Grizzlies.
Then he drove to the basket against the 6-foot-10 Davis with 5:48 left, with Memphis trailing the Lakers 105-101. His right hand appeared to bend the wrong direction as he hit the court. Morant writhed in pain, then ran toward the Grizzlies’ bench letting out a yell near midcourt before sprinting to the locker room.
Memphis Coach Taylor Jenkins said X-rays were negative and the Grizzlies will do further testing taking this injury one day at a time.
“I’m not the medical expert,” Jenkins said.
Morant said he’s doubtful for Game 2 on Wednesday night with Memphis down 0-1 following a 128-112 loss.
MONDAY’S GAMES
76ERS 98, NETS 84: Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris had 20 apiece, and Philadelphia won at home to take a 2-0 lead over Brooklyn in their first-round series.
Embiid, the two-time NBA scoring champion, was quiet offensively, going 6 of 11 from the floor, but he did just about everything else. The MVP finalist had 19 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Harris had 12 rebounds. James Harden scored only eight points on 3-of-13 shooting for the Sixers after a sensational Game 1 effort.
Game 3 is Thursday in New York.
Cam Johnson led the Nets with 28 points. Johnson sent Embiid stumbling on a one-handed dunk down the right side that posterized the 7-footer. Johnson stared down Embiid as the Nets forward backpedaled on defense in the first half.
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