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The Boston Celtics have announced that Jaylen Brown will be available for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference's first-round playoffs against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
The expectations were not overly ambitious for the eighth-seeded Heat heading into the series. However, with Eric Spoelstra guiding the team, there was a slim hope that Miami could stage a miraculous upset.
Similarly, Boston's commanding performance, coupled with Jimmy Butler's absence, suggests that this series may be concluded swiftly.
Butler, who contributes 20.8 points per game, remains sidelined for the remainder of the series due to a sprained MCL, along with Terry Rozier who has a neck injury.
What happened to Jaylen Brown?
Jaylen Brown has been sidelined for four of the team's last nine games due to various injuries.
He was absent for one game due to a hip contusion, missed the Celtics' victory against the Washington Wizards on March 17 due to a sprained right ankle, and was unavailable for the game against the Chicago Bulls on March 23.
More recently, Brown was sidelined for the matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a lingering left wrist injury. He has missed 12 games this season due to the aforementioned injuries.
Jaylen Brown stats vs Miami Heat
Jaylen Brown has appeared in 22 games against the Miami Heat, going 16-6, and 21 times in the postseason, going 10-11.
He has averaged 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, with 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks on 49.2% shooting from the field, including 41.4% from the 3-point line and 71.4% from the free-throw line.
Currently, Joe Mazzulla has completed two full seasons as head coach, aiming to overcome last year's setback in the conference finals. The Celtics were eliminated in a seven-game series by the Heat in that instance. Considering the odds, the Celtics seem poised for a strong postseason run this year.
They are currently favored at -230 to clinch the Eastern Conference title, indicating an expectation of smooth sailing towards the NBA Finals.
In Game 1, the Celtics asserted their dominance through tenacious defense and a standout performance from Jayson Tatum, who recorded a triple-double.
Tatum, operating from the small forward position, led the team with 23 points while contributing 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The suffocating defense employed by the Celtics resulted in a combined final score of 208 points, falling short of the pregame total of 210.5 points.
