Celtics get positive injury news ahead of showdown vs. Thunder
The Celtics will be at full strength for Sunday’s potential NBA Finals preview in Oklahoma City.
Jaylen Brown will be available to play against the Western Conference-leading Thunder after missing two games with a shoulder strain, the Celtics announced. Al Horford also returns after sitting out Friday’s win in Houston for rest purposes.
Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center.
Barring a late scratch, it will be just the seventh time all season that Boston has its full preferred starting five (Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis) active for a game. That lineup has played just 85 minutes together this season.
The Celtics have yet to play a full game with its eight core rotation players (the five starters, plus Horford, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser) all available. That steak could end Sunday against the Thunder, who come in riding a 14-game win streak.
Boston has won three straight after dropping four of six during an inconsistent December. The Celtics are 2-0 on their current four-game Western Conference road trip, beating the Timberwolves and Rockets on back-to-back nights without Brown.
OKC leads the NBA in defensive rating by a wide margin and boasts one of the NBA MVP front-runners in standout guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander has played in every game for the 29-5 Thunder and ranks third in the NBA in points per game, trailing only former MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.