Stevens: No surgery expected for Brown after fractured face – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Friday he doesn’t expect all-star Jaylen Brown to miss much time after breaking a facial bone.

Stevens said Brown was fitted with a mask. Brown was diagnosed with a maxillary fracture after accidentally hitting Jayson Tatum’s elbow while aiming for a rebound during Boston’s win over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Brown sat with Boston as the host of Charlotte on Friday night and will be assessed over the next few days. It depends on how long he will be out.

“He still feels it. It doesn’t feel good. We’ll see how he feels when he starts moving,” Stevens said. “Then we meet at the beginning of the week and think about what’s next. But it doesn’t look like it’s going to last too long, which is good.”

Stevens also said point guard Marcus Smart, who will miss his ninth straight game on Friday with a sprained right ankle, is getting closer to a return but is still in pain.

Boston (36-16) entered the NBA on Friday with the best record.

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