Cal Basketball: Jaylen Brown Confirmed to Have Sustained a Facial Fracture
Updated
Former Cal star Jaylen Brown may be out of the Boston Celtics lineup for a while.
Brown suffered what has been confirmed as a facial fracture after taking an elbow to the face from teammate Jayson Tatum late in the first half of the Celtics’ 106-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
“He was quiet. He was in a lot of pain,” teammate Malcolm Brogdon told the Boston Herald. “Just told him to feel better. There’s nothing I think we can do for him. But he was in a lot of pain when he left, so we’ll pray for him.”
Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters he tried calling Brown after the game but he didn’t answer. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Brown sustained a facial fracture and could be sidelined through the All-Star break.
The Boston Globe confirmed through a league source on Wednesday night that Brown was believed to have a facial fracture.
He is expected to undergo further medical evaluations on Thursday.
Brown and Tatum went up for an offensive rebound at the same time and Tatum inadvertently hit Brown in the left cheek with an elbow. Brown went to the floor with 1:27 left in the second quarter, got up a few moments later and while holding his face went directly to the locker room.
"I hope he's all right," Tatum told ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth after the game. "We both went for the rebound, collided ... just a freak accident. I feel terrible. So, I just hope he's going to be all right."
Brown, who was chosen by the coaches as a reserve on his second All-Star team, is averaging a career-best 27.0 points per game. He had four points and three assists in 18 minutes against the 76ers before leaving the game.
By winning Wednesday, Boston improved to 39-16, the best record in the NBA.
Cover photo of Jaylen Brown after being elbowed in the face by Jayson Tatum by David Butler II, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
