Coming off a scorching 30-point performance with pinpoint efficiency—9-for-18 from the field and a flawless 10-for-11 from the charity stripe—in Friday’s dominant win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden, Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown seemed primed for more heroics. But fate had other plans. As the Celtics gear up for the grueling second leg of their back-to-back on Saturday in Toronto, Brown is sidelined, dealing a massive blow to the team’s momentum.
The team’s leading scorer and legitimate MVP contender was initially listed as doubtful on Boston’s latest injury report due to a “non-COVID illness.” However, just 90 minutes before tip-off, the Celtics confirmed the devastating news: Brown will sit out against the Raptors.
Brown has been on fire this season, posting career-high averages of 29.3 points on 50.0% field goal shooting and 36.4% from beyond the arc. He’s also chipping in 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, missing only one contest so far—back on December 4 in Washington during the first half of another back-to-back (with the Lakers waiting in the wings).
Celtics Brace for Raptors Clash on Back-to-Back
The outlook for Boston against Toronto is suddenly shrouded in uncertainty. Sure, they managed to topple the Wizards without Brown in his prior absence, but the Raptors are no pushovers at 17-11. Like the Celtics, Toronto is a mid-tier Eastern Conference squad scrambling to solidify its standing, making this matchup a critical test with playoff implications on the line.
Adding to the intrigue, Brown won’t get to square off against Toronto’s rising star Scottie Barnes—a player he awkwardly tried to praise last week, only for it to backfire. Brown called Barnes unusually powerful, quipping, “He got that extra chromosome strength, like he just … like just some type of Ninja Turtle or something. That boy strong as hell.”
Of course, having an extra chromosome doesn’t equate to superhuman strength—it’s linked to conditions like Down syndrome, which can involve intellectual disabilities.
Jaylen Brown Delivers Heartfelt Apology
Brown quickly owned up to his misstep, issuing an apology on teammate Derrick White’s podcast.
As he explained: “I didn’t know that was a thing. For Scottie, I said the comments but I didn’t know that was something that people had already been teasing him about. I apologize for that. I was unaware of that.
“But when I made the comment I was really trying to give him a compliment—maybe it was a poor choice of words but I was trying to say how strong he was, like when I said extra chromosome, people looked at it like something negative I was trying to say. But I was looking at it like Superman, Incredible Hulk, I’m a Marvel guy, so extra chromosome would be a benefit. I wasn’t thinking of making fun of any community.”