On a night when the NBA world was flipped upside down by the Phoenix Suns acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics received some bad news.
Star guard Jaylen Brown suffered a facial fracture Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers and will miss some time, according to a report by The Athletic.
Brown is expected to be further examined on Thursday and could be out through the NBA’s All-Star break.
The injury to Brown occurred late in the first half when Brown took an inadvertent elbow to the face from teammate Jayson Tatum.
Brown immediately walked to the locker room after absorbing the blow and did not return to the game.
The Celtics, already without the services of three starters in Al Horford, Marcus Smart and Rob Williams, beat the 76ers Wednesday night, 106-99.
After the game, Brown’s teammates hoped for good news on the two-time All-Star’s injury.
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"He was quiet," Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon said, according to ESPN. "He was in a lot of pain. Just told him to feel better.
"There was nothing I think we could do for him. But he was in a lot of pain when we left.
"We'll pray for him."
Tatum, who finished the game with just 12 points on 5-15 shooting, called the collision a "freak accident."
"I hope he's all right," Tatum said after the game. "We both went for the rebound, collided ... just a freak accident. I feel terrible. So, I just hope he's going to be all right."
The win moved the Celtics to 39-16 on the season with a 1.5 game lead on the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
