The Celtics will be without two key starters on Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown will miss his second consecutive game as he recovers from a right thumb sprain while Kemba Walker will miss the contest while dealing with a sore left knee.
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The C's were without Brown in their 128-123 loss in Milwaukee on Thursday night. The swingman was injured in a home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Walker picked up the scoring slack against the Bucks with a 40-point performance.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters at the team's shootaround Saturday morning that a scan of Brown's thumb showed no tear but he'll be out again as Boston tries to turnaround a recent slide that has seen them lose two in a row and five of their past seven.
"He’s getting a lot better. They went into last night thinking there was a chance he would play but he’s not going to play," Stevens said. "The scans didn’t show anything from a tear standpoint. It’s a sprain. Still got a little swelling."
Brown was still wearing a protective glove as he went to the weight room after the shootaround.
Rookie point guard Tremont Waters was recalled from Maine of the G League to add ball-handling depth. Carsen Edwards and Tacko Fall remain with Maine.
Brown (20.0) is one of three Celtics averaging 20 points or more per game along with Walker (22.1) and Jayson Tatum (21.2). Marcus Smart moved into the starting lineup on Thursday in place of Brown. Smart had been a new addition to the injury report Friday due to an ankle sprain but is expected to play.
"I rolled my ankle the last game so just rather be safe than sorry but the ankle’s feeling fine,” Smart said. "A little sore, nothing crazy, but 99 percent chance I’ll play.”
In still more injury news, forward Gordon Hayward said the foot injury he's been playing through is lingering but he wouldn't blame it for his inconsistent play lately (1-for-10 shooting vs. Bucks).
“I think it’s going to be an ongoing issue for a little while, so it is what it is...," Hayward said. "The night before I had a good game (10-for-15 shooting, 25 points vs. the Pistons), so some days are diamond, some days are stone.”
Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Suns-Celtics, which begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.