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Celtics

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown is playing through knee tendonitis, Danny Ainge told the radio show Toucher and Rich.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1359869516113666049" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Robb via Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Ainge said there are no long-term concerns with Brown's injury, but added that the team is watching the injury closely. The 24-year-old is currently setting career highs in points (26.7) and assists (3.4) per game, along with field goal percentage (52.2) and three-point percentage (42.7). Brown missed two games with knee soreness last week, but returned in the Celtics' loss to Utah.

Brown missed two games last week with knee soreness and returned to action on Tuesday.

Jaylen Brown playing with knee tendonitis

Celtics' Jaylen Brown has tested positive for coronavirus, team says. Brown is in quarantine.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1446585320150011904" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;This is a difficult blow for the Celtics, though it remains to be seen how long Brown would be held out. Brown recently scored 25 points in Boston's preseason win over the Orlando Magic. According to the team, Brown is currently asymptomatic.

Brown recently scored 25 points in Boston's preseason win over the Orlando Magic.

Jaylen Brown tests positive for COVID-19

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown yesterday underwent successful scapholunate reconstruction surgery. He is expected to return to basketball activities in approximately three months. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/pressrelease/jaylen-brown-medical-update" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics Press Release </a>
ANALYSIS: The Celtics announced earlier in the week that Brown would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ligament in his left wrist. Brown will hope to make a full recovery over the offseason and be ready to go for training camp next season.

The Boston Celtics announced that Jaylen Brown underwent successful surgery on his wrist.

Jaylen Brown undergoes successful surgery on wrist

<a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1366500054635339783" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Boston Celtics announced</a> that All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown is 'questionable' for Tuesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers because of left knee soreness. Brown missed Boston's previous outing against the Washington Wizards because of the knee soreness and is now in jeopardy of missing a second-straight game. Brown is having a career year for the Celtics and was also just named to his first All-Star game, averaging 25.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in about 34 minutes per game.  
If Brown ultimately can't go, expect Javonte Green to receive another start.&nbsp;

Celtics' Jaylen Brown is 'questionable' Tuesday vs. the Clippers due to left knee soreness.

Jaylen Brown (knee) 'questionable' vs. Clippers Tuesday

The Boston Celtics added guard/forward Jaylen Brown to the injury report on Thursday afternoon due to soreness in his left knee. 
Brown comes as a surprise addition to the injury report for the Celtics, but he is also coming off playing 37 minutes and then 35 minutes in Boston's Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back set. It seems likely that the Celtics are just being extra cautious with their 24-year-old star, but they still could choose to hold him out on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, as he is officially listed as 'questionable.' 
Expect additional updates on Brown's status closer to tip-off tomorrow.

Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown is questionable for tomorrow's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks because of left knee soreness, says the team.

Jaylen Brown (knee) 'questionable' tomorrow against Atlanta

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul and Dallas Mavericks forward-center Dwight Powell have received the 2019-20 End-of-Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of their continued commitment to positively impacting their communities through sustained efforts over the course of the season, the NBA announced today.&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s end-of-season award recognizes five players whose exemplary work advanced social justice and provided COVID-19 relief and support, reflecting the longstanding passion of NBA players to give back to their communities and stand up for the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.
The five recipients made concerted efforts throughout the 2019-20 season &ndash; which extended nearly a full calendar year including the league&rsquo;s hiatus and restart &ndash; to leverage their platforms and voices to engage, empower and support different communities amidst the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic and social justice movement following continued incidents of racialized violence against Black men and women.&nbsp; Each winning player will receive $10,000 to their charity of choice, a donation from the NBA and Kaiser Permanente.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
Barnes has provided meaningful support to youth, families and frontline workers in Sacramento, Dallas and Ames, IA.&nbsp; Barnes and his wife, Brittany, donated $40,000 to deliver weekly groceries for families and senior citizens in Sacramento and contributed an additional $40,000 to Hunger Busters, a local non-profit that provides daily meals for Dallas Independent School District students, and $10,000 to the Boys &amp; Girls Club of Greater Dallas.&nbsp; Barnes provided nearly $200,000 for refurbishments to his alma mater Ames High School to assist with safe and healthy learning.&nbsp; He continues to take a leadership role in fighting for meaningful change to combat racial and social inequities, speaking about the importance of civic engagement and voting at a peaceful protest in downtown Sacramento in support of Black Lives Matter following the tragic murder of George Floyd.&nbsp; As part of the season restart, Barnes dedicated each Kings game to a different organization, including the Trayvon Martin Foundation, The Botham Jean Foundation, The Atatiana Project, Mothers Against Police Brutality, The Michael Brown Foundation, Tamir Rice Foundation, Champion in the Making and the African American Policy Forum, contributing $25,000 to each non-profit created by the families of victims of police brutality and gun violence.&nbsp; Barnes has selected the African American Policy Forum as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;It is a great honor to be named among the winners of the NBA Community Assist Award, which I proudly share with my wife, Brittany,&rdquo; said Barnes.&nbsp; &ldquo;Brittany and I remain committed to helping the communities we are connected to, specifically showing our support for families affected by police brutality.&nbsp; We dedicate this award to the legacy of Breonna Taylor and we stand with organizations such as #SayHerName with African American Policy Forum to shine a light on Black women and girls who have been victims of police brutality.&nbsp; We cannot forget them, and the Black men senselessly killed.&nbsp; Our efforts are not done, and we will continue to make a difference to fuel racial and social justice.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Brown has continuously demonstrated leadership in Boston and Atlanta and throughout the hiatus and restart, organizing action and advocating for racial and educational equity.&nbsp; Following the killing of George Floyd, Brown drove 15 hours to his native Atlanta and organized a peaceful march on May 30.&nbsp; Brown&rsquo;s impassioned advocacy towards social justice inspired the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice campaign, a multi-focus commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the greater Boston area.&nbsp; In response to the pandemic, Brown made a significant contribution to the Boston Resiliency Fund, a city-led effort to assist communities most impacted by the pandemic.&nbsp; His generous donation provided meals for senior citizens and families most in need, new technology for students as they transitioned to remote learning as well as continued support for first responders.&nbsp; Brown has selected the 7uice Foundation as the recipient of his donation.
On receiving the 2019-20 End-of-Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente, Brown shared, &ldquo;There is so much more work to be done.&rdquo;
George Hill, Milwaukee Bucks
Hill and his teammates were instrumental in encouraging members of the NBA family to leverage their collective platforms to advance social justice. &nbsp;Electing not to play on Aug. 26, Hill and the Bucks organized a call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes&nbsp;to discuss meaningful measures to address criminal justice reform.&nbsp; In April, he partnered with Represent Justice for a conversation with Xavier McElrath-Bey, who was formerly incarcerated, about the criminal justice system following the Bucks&rsquo; Play for Justice game at Racine Correctional Institution in December.&nbsp; Particularly focused on education, Hill collaborated with community leaders in his hometown of Indianapolis to open Him By Her Collegiate School for the Arts, preparing underserved students for college entry and postgraduate success, and created a youth mentorship program to help Milwaukee Public School students stay engaged during the pandemic called George&rsquo;s Gentlemen.&nbsp; To support those impacted by COVID-19, Hill donated meals to health care workers and contributed to the Bucks Emergency Relief Fund to provide financial relief to Fiserv Forum employees.&nbsp; Hill has selected Represent Justice as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;Every day we have to live our lives with greater respect and purpose.&nbsp; This isn&rsquo;t a one-person battle, it&rsquo;s a battle for the entire world,&rdquo; Hill said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Now is the time for us to come together as one and embrace each other, love one another and grow together.&nbsp; Humanity is something we&rsquo;re lacking, and I will continue to do my job to bring back those attributes that we lack today in every community.&rdquo;
Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
As President of the National Basketball Players Association, Paul played an integral role in ensuring the goal of the season restart would be to take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice, working in partnership with the NBPA and NBA to create social justice messages on jerseys and the court, provide on campus programs and resources for players and use the game&rsquo;s platform to increase awareness around civic engagement.&nbsp; Paul, Portland&rsquo;s Carmelo Anthony and NBA legend Dwyane Wade launched the Social Change Fund in July dedicated to addressing social and economic justice issues facing Black communities and breaking down the discriminatory barriers to success.&nbsp; In March, he collaborated with Live Nation to launch an internship program at North Carolina A&amp;T State University, providing students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with an opportunity to gain experience in the music industry.&nbsp; As part of the Chris Paul Family Foundation&rsquo;s efforts to strengthen communities, Paul donated meals to feed more than 200 hospital workers in North Carolina during the pandemic.&nbsp; Paul&rsquo;s foundation also partnered with State Farm and Spalding in January to renovate a 30-year-old court at Family T.R.E.E, an organization dedicated to renewing and reunifying families in Oklahoma City, and hosted 100 children from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma on a holiday shopping spree, teaching children how to budget their money and give during the holidays.&nbsp; Paul has selected the Chris Paul Family Foundation as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;The community assist award is such an honor to me any year, but this year in particular,&rdquo; said Paul.&nbsp; &ldquo;Given everything 2020 has thrown our way, it&rsquo;s important that we the players continue to use our NBA platform to be the voice of the voiceless.&nbsp; I will continue to amplify and support the front-line organizations fighting for racial and economic justice as well as the tireless efforts of the health care workers keeping us healthy and safe during the COVID-19 health crisis.&nbsp; I am so thankful for this acknowledgement as it is one of the proudest accolades an NBA player can receive.&rdquo;
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
During the pandemic, Powell organized immediate support for families and frontline workers in Dallas.&nbsp; He joined teammate Luka Dončić, Mavericks governor Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks Foundation in donating $500,000 to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital to assist with childcare for frontline workers and provide meals from local restaurants for more than 11,000 health care workers and first responders at the City of Dallas&rsquo; Emergency Operations Center, COVID-19 testing sites and local hospitals.&nbsp; Powell also lifted the spirits of youth during periods of physical distancing, participating in children&rsquo;s hospital virtual room visits, delivering congratulatory messages for 2020 graduates, and making personal phone calls and videos encouraging positivity.&nbsp; He continues to support cancer patients and their families through the Dwight Powell Children and Family Support Fund and as part of NBA restart, orchestrated the entire Mavericks roster to select &ldquo;Equality&rdquo; to wear on their jerseys. Powell has selected Champions of Discovery as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;In my opinion, being a member of a community means lending your neighbor a hand whenever needed and searching for ways to help make your community a better place for all who live there,&rdquo; Powell stated. &ldquo;Furthermore, this year has presented us all with challenges that I feel should have reminded us that we are part of a much larger community than our NBA market.&nbsp; The issues at hand regarding public health and equality are far reaching and demand all of our attention.&nbsp; So it goes without saying we as NBA players have felt the need to step up in whatever way we can to try and find ways to help keep people safe, fight for racial justice and urge everyone to register to vote so they too can use their voices. As members of the greater community I feel that&rsquo;s all of our duties.&rdquo;
The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities, and honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece.&nbsp; The monthly award recipients in the 2019-20 NBA season included Gorgui Dieng of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Langston Galloway of the Detroit Pistons.&nbsp;

Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, George Hill, Chris Paul and Dwight Powell received the 2019-20 NBA Cares Community Assist award.

Jaylen Brown, CP3 headline NBA Cares awards

Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown and Miles Bridges all reportedly declined to participate in this year's Slam Dunk Contest.&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/how-zion-williamson-can-provided-a-necessary-jolt-leading-up-to-sundays-all-star-game-174843965.html?ncid=twitter_yahoosport_dw14wrbb51g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes/Yahoo Sports</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The NBA continues to struggle attracting marquee names to the Slam Dunk Contest. But they have secured bids from three notable high fliers in Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, Blazers guard Anfernee Simons and Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley. Zion Williamson, who would be a major addition to the lineup, has not made a decision yet. The Dunk Contest will take place at halftime of the All-Star game on March 7.
Stephen Curry is also expected to enter the league's three-point shooting contest, while top rookie LaMelo Ball has reportedly declined to participate in the Skills Challenge.

Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons and Cassius Stanley are the current entrants.

Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown declined Dunk Contest offers

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said Monday that Jaylen Brown would likely be out 1-2 weeks with a hamstring strain.&nbsp;
Brown missed the Celtics' last contest, a narrow 107-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The sixth-year wing is averaging a career-high 25.6 points per game through eight contests, along with 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The Celtics have stumbled out of the gate to a 4-6 record.

Brown missed the Celtics' last contest, a narrow 107-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jaylen Brown out 1-2 weeks with hamstring strain

Al Horford has tested positive for coronavirus and is quarantine. Jaylen Brown tested positive on Friday.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1448031816913465352?s=21">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Celtics are the first team to be struck by coronavirus this season.&nbsp;
With Brown and Horford in quarantine, hopefully there will be no other cases on the Celtics and they will each make a swift recovery.&nbsp;
Jayson Tatum was notably significantly affected by COVID-19 last season, even needing to use inhalers before games for the rest of the season.

Al Horford has tested positive for coronavirus and is quarantine. Jaylen Brown tested positive on Friday.

Al Horford tests positive for coronavirus days after Jaylen Brown

Celtics say All-Star Jaylen Brown has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his left wrist and is out for the remainder of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1391876083692326917" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: This is brutal news for the Celtics as any hopes they had of making a deep playoff run are likely gone now. Brown had missed the team's previous three games due to a sprained right ankle, so this injury news on his wrist is somewhat surprising considering there were no prior reports of a wrist injury leading up to the news today.&nbsp;
Brown had a career year with the Celtics and will end the 2020-21 season with averages of 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 34.5 minutes per game.

Celtics' Jaylen Brown will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Jaylen Brown out for season with torn ligament in wrist

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown will miss Sunday's contest against the Phoenix Suns, as he is dealing with left knee soreness.
Source: <a href="https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2021/02/06/celtics-injury-report-jaylen-brown-sidelined-sore-left-knee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Hass/Boston.com</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Brown had played every game for the Celtics this season until Friday's game against the Clippers, which he missed due to the same soreness. Only Daniel Theis has played in every matchup for Boston so far. Brown is averaging 26.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2020-21.

Brown is averaging 26.4 points per game with the Celtics this season.

Jaylen Brown to miss second straight game with knee soreness

Bostonians need to breathe before reading this.
Things look bleaker than the ending of the Last Of Us II for some, but in totality, it&rsquo;s not really that bad.
The Boston Celtics are 21-21 halfway through the season and tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference with 40 games left. Even so, they&rsquo;re just three games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 5 seed. In this league currently, a two-week run could have you anywhere from eye-emojiing that conference championship or deciding to blow it up altogether. Just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.
That brings us to the Celtics, who have two All-Star caliber wings in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
With the same tandem many anointed as next in line, the Celtics lost in Game 7 to the LeBron James-led Cavs in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. (IBoston missing a sidelined Kyrie Irving didn't help either.)
Since then, the Celtics have imploded in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals with Irving healthy, fallen to the Miami Heat in the East Finals in Kemba Walker&rsquo;s last All-Star season, and needed the Play-In Tournament to solidify their standing in the 2021 playoffs, where they were nearly swept by the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round.
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If you combine Boston's records following its 2020 East Finals run, the team is 57-57. So as a result, y&rsquo;all are trying to break up Tatum and Brown, who are still just 23 and 25, respectively.
Does that need to happen for the Celtics figure this out? Let&rsquo;s talk about it.
The Case To Keep&nbsp;
The case to keep is getting tougher to construct by the day because of public opinion and underwhelming results. Still, it&rsquo;s hard to have two All-Stars on your roster at 25 years or younger and to want to split them up, even if they could be offensively redundant. But let&rsquo;s compare this to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum&rsquo;s situation out in Portland, as a guide.
Lillard and McCollum are both 6-foot-3, score-first guards who are on the other side of 30 years old. Each rely heavily on creating with the ball in isolation or high screen-and-roll situations to generate offense, and generally occupy the same real estate on that side of the ball. Neither are defensive stoppers... at all... and both are on huge contracts through at least 2024. Lillard will make $39 to $49 million annually between now and 2024-25, whereas McCollum will bank $31 million, $33 and $36 million between now and 2023-24. Each deal will take them into their mid-30s.
Tatum and Brown are both on rookie extensions. Tatum could opt out of the fifth year of his, but even so, it&rsquo;s $37 million in 2025-26 &mdash; less than Lillard makes this year. Brown&rsquo;s number is $24.8 million this season, and he&rsquo;s only signed through 2023-24 &mdash; same as McCollum &mdash; where he&rsquo;ll see $28.6 million. Tatum and Brown are also wings between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8, and have shown more defensive upside, while Lillard and McCollum are smaller guards who have dealt with more injuries in recent seasons than they had previously, for whatever that&rsquo;s worth.
A Tatum-Brown tandem is so damn hard to find and develop that it almost never happens, and &mdash; given where the projections stood after a quick turnaround from sending Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn &mdash; it&rsquo;s why people poke fun at the Celtics for being where they are. That's how Tatum and Brown got there in the first place.
But if you go the "keep both and make it work" route as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-have-no-interest-in-trading-jayson-tatum-or-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston will reportedly choose</a>, you have to build it differently. If you want to keep the Jays together, a legitimate point guard should be there to run the show, not a dude who just plays the position; that would help Robert Williams significantly too. The problem is, the way guys are being encouraged to run the 1-spot now isn&rsquo;t conducive to that, so it&rsquo;s challenging. But hell, all of this is. Only four teams make a conference finals, and the Celtics have been to two in the last four seasons, so you could definitely talk yourself into keeping this going.
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The Case to Split
We don&rsquo;t definitively know what they are, but we&rsquo;ve heard rumors about friction and supposed off-the-court issues seemingly since these two became teammates. Not necessarily between them, but around them. This season alone, there was that time Brown and Al Horford didn&rsquo;t agree about whether or not the team <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-jaylen-brown-al-horford-werent-same-page-after-timberwolves-loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">needed to look in the mirror</a> following a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Less than two months earlier, Marcus Smart called out Tatum and Brown <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDwk3qbgsxA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regarding their apparent selfishness offensively</a>. We could go on, but you get the point.
On the surface, you&rsquo;d just figure you&rsquo;d get more wins. It's easier said than done, especially knowing how much the league &mdash; the East, in particular &mdash; has improved since 2017. While Tatum and Brown have also become All-Stars in that time, we still have questions. &nbsp;
This also ties back into the redundancy on the court, which is discernable. There&rsquo;s something to be said for choosing one and dealing the other for a point guard with actual floor-general tendencies &mdash; or just better parts to fit around whoever&rsquo;s left &mdash; but given the level of whichever player is dealt, you&rsquo;d rather have the the former.
There&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/33034686/2022-nba-trade-deadline-watch-potential-deals-all-30-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Simmons smoke</a>, and he&rsquo;d make sense with either on the court. Off? Who the hell knows. Everyone&rsquo;s a wildcard in this hypothetical.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be fascinating, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-trading-shai-gilgeous-alexander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">though I think Oklahoma City should keep him</a>.
John Collins is interesting, particularly because he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hawks-emerging-as-a-potential-landing-spot-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may be available</a> and could conceivably play next to Time Lord down low; however, there&rsquo;s a world where that&rsquo;s clunkier than what Collins is already dealing with by sharing the floor with Clint Capela in Atlanta.
And there&rsquo;s Dejounte Murray, who would be the most appealing fit next to either if you&rsquo;re point guard hunting. A Brown for Murray framework, for example, works for both the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs on paper, at least. But, if I&rsquo;m the Spurs, it&rsquo;s a no from me dawg. For now, at least.
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The Verdict
Honestly, the East is too good for Boston this year, barring something more improbable than you out-trash-talking Dillon Brooks. There&rsquo;s something to be said for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/should-these-now-trade-eligible-candidates-be-dealt-this-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making a minor move to improve the roster a bit</a>. Still, this appears to be a one-and-done playoff team on the surface, with a deep evaluation of its future coming in a few months.
A trade wouldn&rsquo;t change your fortune a good deal either, so thugging it out until the summer is probably best for now, unless the locker room morale is worse than we know. In that case, it would be time for a meaningful shake-up.

Bryan Fonseca wrestles with the idea of what the Celtics should do with the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo.

The case against, and for, Boston splitting Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

The 19-21 Celtics have indicated to rival teams that they want to build around&nbsp;Jayson Tatum&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jaylen Brown&nbsp;&mdash; and have no interest to split up the two All-Star forwards right now, sources said.
Source: <a href="https://theathletic.com/3060724/2022/01/10/update-on-ben-simmons-trade-talks-frustrated-hawks-star-john-collins-a-possible-match-nba-news-and-notes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Tatum-Brown pairing has been heavily scrutinized by fans due to the Celtics' lackluster season, but it makes sense that the team would look to keep one of the best wing duos in the league intact. Tatum and Brown are each averaging over 24 points and 6 rebounds per game. Charania did add that the Celtics appear "open for business" regarding trades with other players.

Tatum and Brown are each averaging over 24 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Celtics 'have no interest' in trading Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown

The Boston Celtics announced today that Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye and Javonte Green join the growing inactive list of players due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Celtics have just eight eligible and active players ahead of Sunday's contest with the Miami Heat.
According to <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1348354524835147791" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jared Weiss of The Athletic</a>, the eligible players are: Marcus Smart, Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters, Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis and Tacko Fall.
This leaves the Celtics with a single traditional wing in the rookie Nesmith. He, Theis and Fall are the three players above 6-foot-3 who are available to play. Given that most of these rulings have come in the past couple of days, the Celtics could be playing this lineup for multiple games.&nbsp;

The Celtics must have eight active players for Sunday's game to continue as planned.

With Jaylen Brown, others out, Celtics down to 8 available players

Jaylen Brown expressed frustration with his team's energy after the Boston Celtics lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-115, on Tuesday.&nbsp;
"Find that inner flame, man; it needs to be ignited. Passion needs to show on the court, the urgency needs to show. We need that desperately - we need that fire, we need that fight, we need to stop getting hit in the face and try to respond. We have to punch first."
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/Murf56/status/1387228636185518081" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Murphy/Boston Herald</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Brown's sentiments echo many from the Celtics' fan base. Boston lost to a prospect-laden Thunder team that had previously dropped its last 14 contests. Brown did his part to stem the tide, scoring 39 points to go with 11 rebounds and four steals in the defeat. The Celtics have lost their last three games and will face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

Brown scored 39 points despite Boston losing to the OKC Thunder.

Jaylen Brown after Celtics loss: 'Passion needs to show on the court'

Don't look now, but the Boston Celtics have things clicking.
Jaylen Brown scored 40 points while shooting 17-of-20 from the floor on Thursday night as the Celtics notched a 121-113 win on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown became the first Celtic ever to reach 40 while shooting at least 85 percent from the field.
"I just wanted to come and be aggressive," <a href="https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/post-041521-brown-makes-celtics-history-unreal-performance-la" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said after the game</a>. "Celtics-Lakers matchup is a matchup that kids dream about.&rdquo;
Brown also tallied nine rebounds and three assists in the Celtics' fifth straight win. They've won seven of their last eight contests and flown up to a tie fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He just stayed hot,&rdquo; Brad Stevens said on Brown. &ldquo;I think that he's done a good job. Tonight, he was really dialed in scoring the ball. You're not going to always shoot as well as he did tonight. Obviously, that's like once-a-season type numbers, usually. But he's had a great year and he continues to get better, and tonight was the night that he got going and we tried to ride that as much as possible.&rdquo;
Five other Celtics reached double digit points in the victory. The Lakers, who were missing LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond, were led by 19 points off the bench from Talen Horton-Tucker.
&nbsp;

Brown became the first Celtic to hit the benchmark while shooting 85 percent from the field.

Jaylen Brown scores 40, Celtics beat depleted Lakers for fifth straight win

After initially listing Evan Fournier as Questionable, the Celtics announced that the newly-acquired guard is available to play tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEBHInjuryReport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEBHInjuryReport</a> update: Evan Fournier - AVAILABLE
&mdash; Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1376574266909593608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Fournier could make his Celtics debut after coming over from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline. The Celtics dealt two second round picks and Jeff Teague to Orlando for the 28-year-old guard. Fournier was averaging a career-high 19.7 points per game with the Magic.&nbsp;
The team also announced earlier in the day that Jaylen Brown is out of the lineup with a hip contusion.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEBHInjuryReport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEBHInjuryReport</a> update: Jaylen Brown (left hip contusion) - OUT Evan Fournier (Health &amp; Safety Protocols) - QUESTIONABLE Romeo Langford (Health &amp; Safety Protocols) - OUT Semi Ojeleye (left side strain) - OUT Tristan Thompson (Health &amp; Safety Protocols) - OUT
&mdash; Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1376560378675662853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Fournier could make his debut with the Celtics on Monday.

Evan Fournier available to play for Celtics vs. Pelicans, Jaylen Brown out

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter to a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
Brown scored 21 in the fourth quarter, then opened OT with his fifth 3-pointer of the game. Brown, whose previous career high was 46 against the Knicks on Oct. 20, also finished with 11 rebounds as the Celtics avoided losing for the fourth time in five games.
Marcus Smart added 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who needed an 11-2 run down the stretch to force overtime. Dennis Schroder had 21 points and seven assists.
Terrence Ross scored 33 for the Magic, who outscored Boston 35-20 in the third quarter. They closed the period on a 20-4 run to take a 77-65 lead into the fourth and were ahead 96-82 with a little more than 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
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Shortly after missing the free throw on a three-point play attempt with 1:40 left, Brown drove for a layup to tie it at 98-all with 38 seconds to go. He added another layup that briefly put Boston up 100-98 with 30 seconds remaining, but Tim Frazier tied it up again and the game was decided in overtime.
Boston, which beat one of the top teams in the league Friday with a 123-108 win over Phoenix, couldn&rsquo;t stop the lowly Magic (8-29) two days later.
Both teams were without their top scorers. Cole Anthony was out for the Magic with a sprained right ankle and Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum missed his fourth straight game after being placed on the COVID-19 health and safety protocols list last week.
Gary Harris added 23 points and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando. Frazier, who also scored 11 in the third, finished with 14 points.
The Celtics led 45-42 at halftime despite committing 14 turnovers in the first half and nearly letting a 14-point lead vanish before the break. Frazier opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to tie it, starting the Magic on a roll that would put them up by as much as 14.
TIP-INS
Magic: Orlando had just four turnovers in the first half. &hellip; Mo Bamba was back after missing seven games due to health and safety protocols. &hellip; G Hassani Gravett returned after missing one game due to safety protocols. &hellip; C Robin Lopez remained on the protocol list.
Celtics: C Robert Williams, who had his first career triple-double Friday with 10 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in a win over Phoenix, was out with a sprained right big toe. &hellip; Although Tatum&rsquo;s status was bumped up to &ldquo;reconditioning to return to competition,&rdquo; he remained out of the lineup for the fourth straight game. &hellip; Schroder returned after missing four games on the protocols list. &hellip; G Romeo Langford was out with a non-COVID illness and G Brodric Thomas was out with lower back pain. &hellip; C Enes Freedom was still on the protocol list.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Chicago on Monday night.
Celtics: Host San Antonio on Wednesday night.
__
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Brown scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone as part of the comeback effort.

Jaylen Brown scores 50, rallies Celtics to 116-111 OT win over Magic

There&rsquo;s been a lot of talk in recent days about the Celtics and whether it is &ldquo;working,&rdquo; leading to the idea that Jaylen Brown could be moved. Instead, two sources indicated that in recent talks the Celtics are focused on trying to add a third star to play&nbsp;with&nbsp;Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Source: <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-intel-league-sources-on-trade-season-expectations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore/The Action Network</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Brown and Tatum are one of the top young duos in the NBA, but with the Celtics sitting at 14-14, they might need more to join the upper tier of the Eastern Conference. It is unclear what type of player Boston might chase. Tatum is averaging 26.2 points per game this season and Brown is putting up 21.2 points per game.&nbsp;

With the Celtics sitting at 14-14, they might need more to join the upper tier of the Eastern Conference.

Celtics want to add third star to join Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and the Boston Celtics beat depleted Cleveland 111-101 on Wednesday night to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at six.
Robert Williams III added a career-high 21 points along with 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Jayson Tatum had 18 points.
“Tonight was taking advantage of the coverage,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said about Brown. “He had some big guys on him.”
It was Brown's second straight game with 30 points or more.
“It's one of the better days I've had since I've been back,” said Brown, who has been out twice with a bothersome right hamstring, including five games this month.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 28 points, and Kevin Love had 18. The Cavaliers were missing starters Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and five other players in the NBA's health and safety protocol.
Also short-handed, Boston signed 40-year-old Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract Wednesday. The crowd chanted “We Want Joe! “We Want Joe!”” and broke into a loud cheer when he got off the bench and came into the game. He got a huge ovation when he hit a fallaway jumper in the final minute.
Brown remembered idolizing Johnson as a kid. 
“A lot of memories,” said Brown of watching Johnson play for the Hawks when he was growing up in Atlanta. “A lot of (playoff) runs. In Atlanta, I got to go to a lot of those games.”
Down 23 points, the Cavaliers cut it to 10 at 85-75 on Garland’s basket — the first of the final quarter — but Williams had a steal and breakaway dunk that sparked the crowd and started an 8-0 spree.
“Just to keep playing," Garland said about the team's situation. "It's next-man-up mentality,” 
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine, RJ Nembhard and Ed Davis also are in protocol. … They missed nine of their first 10 on 3-point attempts. … They signed forward Tre Scott from the G League Cleveland Charge to a 10-day contract via the NBA’s hardship exception. … Garland and Osman were each whistled for a technical. 
Celtics: Williams returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game for personal reasons. … Udoka said the team is still in a “holding pattern waiting for two negative tests” on the seven players that are in COVID protocol, which includes starting center Al Horford and forward Grant Williams, who plays extended minutes. 
STILL POPULAR
Seven-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, who saw limited action the past two seasons with Boston but was a fan favorite, made his first career NBA start due to Cleveland’s limited roster. He got a loud ovation when he was introduced, and there was a spattering of cheers when he did something positive during the game.
“I'm not here, I'm a Cav now,” Fall said. “But Boston is always going to mean a lot to me. This is almost like a second home for me. Coming from a different country and my first time being a pro, and how I was embraced here, it's just a place I feel like I can always come back and call it home.” 
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Sunday night.
Celtics: At Milwaukee on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jaylen Brown scored 34 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101.

Jaylen