Things appear to be lining up for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown to return from injury Thursday night with the Golden State Warriors in town.
Brown has missed the last three games due to right adductor tightness, but went through a full practice Wednesday.
Brown, who is officially listed as questionable for the contest, certainly is optimistic that his absence from the lineup won’t extend any longer.
“I’m feeling good,” Brown told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “I’ll see how I feel after today. Had a good workout in, good lift. Got some live action going. Got moving a little bit. See if there’s any soreness, but I think I’m all right. Think I’m good. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Brown sure made it sound like he’s playing as he’s now a week removed from when he suffered the injury. The ailment occurred last Wednesday in a 41-point effort from Brown against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“During the game I kind of felt it kind of flare up, and after the game it was sore,” Brown said. “So, I went to go get a MRI just to be kind of cautious. There was a lot of fluid in there. Like A grade 1 strain or whatever, which I’ve experienced before in different places. So, I started the recovery process from there.
“I think the ultimate goal is to be healthy going into the playoffs. So, anytime something comes up, hamstrings and groin and all that type of stuff, it’s hard to read sometimes. I think the training staff did a good job of being a little bit more cautious.”
But it seems like Brown is ready to throw caution aside with the Celtics getting set for an NBA Finals rematch with the Warriors. It’s the first time Golden State has played at TD Garden since clinching the title on the famed parquet in June.
And while that might not motivate the Celtics to get Brown back onto the court quicker, it does incentivize Brown to do so.
“I think from the organization side it’s no, but from the me side, it’s yes,” Brown said. “I think that tomorrow could be a big win for us to keep things rolling. We got seven in a row. You want to keep trending upward, trying to create a little bit of separation from the rest of the East and the rest of the league. From the organization side, there’s no incentive for them to get me back tomorrow. They want to make sure that I’m just healthy overall in general. But if I can go, I’m going.”
