Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown played perhaps the most complete game of his career on Wednesday when he scored 26 points, dished 12 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and committed only two turnovers in 37 minutes in the Celtics’ 127-102 win against the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their second-round series. Even more impressive? He did it with a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Brown might need surgery and will be evaluated this coming week, per ESPN.
Late in the regular season, Brown was sidelined with what the team called a”bone bruise with posterior impingement” in his right knee. He began getting painkilling injections in March, according to ESPN.
The Celtics’ season ended Friday with a 119-81 loss against the Knicks in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Four days before that, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in a 121-113 loss in Game 4. Kristaps Porzingis played through an illness throughout the series.
“We just had some unfortunate events, some injuries,” Brown said Friday. “Personally, I had some stuff that I was persevering through. And it just, you know, it caught up to us in the end.”
Brown added: “I don’t make no excuses. Obviously, it’s tough the way we went out tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I’m proud of our group.”
In 11 playoff games, Brown averaged 22.1 points (on 54.2% true shooting), 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 36.6 minutes per game.
