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Celtics Make Final Call on Jaylen Brown vs Philadelphia 76ers

Jaylen Brown has been downgraded against the 76ers.
Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Dealing with a non-COVID illness, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was in danger of missing Wednesday’s action against the Portland Trail Blazers. With Brown on the injury report against Portland, he was a name to keep an eye on ahead of the Celtics’ matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown was upgraded to available so he could play against the Blazers on Wednesday. However, the trend won’t continue on Thursday night. Against the Sixers, the Celtics have ruled out Brown as he continues to deal with an illness.

The Celtics haven’t rolled without Brown since their February 26 matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Since then, Brown has played in their last three games, averaging well over 30 minutes on the court.

Since returning from the All-Star break, Brown has been producing 24 points per game, along with six rebounds and five assists. The Celtics have won all but two of their six games since the return, and Brown was absent for one of them.

Catching the Celtics on the second night of their back-to-back, the Sixers are facing a Boston team that seems to be cautious with its stars. Considering the Celtics are comfortably in the Eastern Conference’s second seed, while the shorthanded Sixers aren’t posing much of a threat this year, Thursday’s rivalry game lacks a ton of juice.

Jaylen Brown
Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) is fouled while driving by Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The February 20 battle between the Sixers and the Celtics might’ve been the last matchup for Brown against Philly this year. The veteran accounted for 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 26 minutes in the 20-point victory for Boston.

The Sixers and the Celtics meet again at 7:30 PM ET.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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