The Celtics will not have the services of Jaylen Brown for perhaps the most important game of their season.
The star guard will miss Sunday afternoon's game against the Miami Heat at TD Garden due to a right ankle sprain, according to the Celtics. Brown, who already had been hampered by a sore ankle before aggravating it last Sunday, missed Boston's last two games.
Robert Williams, who has missed eight of 12 games due to various injuries, is expected to play through a nagging turf toe issue.
The Celtics currently trail the Heat by one game for the sixth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Should Boston finish between seventh, where it is now, and 10th, it will be forced to participate in a play-in tournament for the playoffs.
Boston, which will play Miami again Tuesday, has five games left on its regular season schedule, including Sunday's matchup with the defending conference champions.
