Jaylen Brown misses third straight game; Joe Mazzulla isn’t worried

On By Littum

Celtics

“Not worried and I don’t think he is either.”

Jaylen Brown misses third straight game; Joe Mazzulla isn’t worried

Jaylen Brown will miss his third straight game for Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Celtics will take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday without one of their top stars.

For the third straight game, Jaylen Brown will be out for Boston with a left hip flexor problem.

Brown told Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn over the weekend that during training camp he had an MRI on his left hip flexor. The pain in his hip has continued to bother him since camp, where Brown told Washburn he planned to get another MRI after Friday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“I haven’t felt like my legs have been under me since I’ve handled this hip flexor,” Brown told Washburn. “It’s more (affecting) my explosion and my explosion. And then mentally trying to figure it out as well. Thinking about it kind of throws everything off, but I’ll probably make it.”

Despite the obvious concern that comes with one of the team’s top stars sitting out three straight games, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t sound the alarm Tuesday during his weekly radio call with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand.”

“Not worried,” Mazzulla said on The Sports Hub. “He’s day-to-day. It’s a strain. He’s working really hard in treatment every day and just kind of working to get back to it. Not worried, and I don’t think he is either.”

The Celtics have taken care of business during the two games Brown has already missed, outscoring the Hornets in the second half of a back-to-back stretch on Saturday before handling the Hawks on Monday, 123-93.

Still, Brown’s absence stands as a tough break for the Celtics with the 6-1 Warriors coming to town. Brown is averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game over his six appearances this season.

The Celtics should be reinforced on Wednesday with Jayson Tatum ready for a rematch against Kerr and the Warriors.

While Tatum (30.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists) is already playing at an MVP level out of the gate this season, he’ll have plenty of motivation going into the matchup against Kerr — especially after the Warriors’ head coach put Tatum on the bench twice during the match. Summer Olympics 2024.

Profile picture for Conor Ryan

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.