Is Jaylen Brown Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Celtics vs. Heat)

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is listed as questionable for Friday's matchup against the Miami Heat with a right knee injury.

Brown has missed 11 games this season, including a recent matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the odds for Friday's game tell us that he is more likely to suit up than not in this matchup.

Boston has listed Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis as questionable for this game, yet it is still favored by eight points at DraftKings Sportsbook.

I also think there is an interesting season-long wrinkle that involves Brown in this matchup. The NBA requires a 65-game minimum for players to eligible for season-long awards, which means they can only miss 17 games to qualify. Brown, who has already missed 11 games in the 2024-25 season, is getting a little close to this number with a month to play.

While he should be fine, Boston may want to rest Brown in meaningless games down the stretch to prepare him for the playoffs. So, sitting out a game like this against Miami may be counterproductive to him reaching the 65-game minimum.

Oddsmakers have Brown projected at 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists for tonight's contest.

This story will be updated with Brown's official status for Friday's game against the Heat.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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