Sunday’s matchup between the Celtics and Grizzlies won’t feature Marcus Smart and may not include Jaylen Brown.
Friday night, the Boston Celtics earned a 108-105 win over the Toronto Raptors, improving to 10-2 to start the 2023-24 campaign.
The victory also gives the team with the NBA’s best record control of its destiny in group play of the league’s inaugural in-season tournament. Boston, 2-0, is the only team in Group C without a loss.
Now, the Celtics will face the Grizzlies in a Sunday showdown taking place in Bluff City.
Memphis has struggled without Ja Morant, who’s serving a 25-game suspension to start the season. Its 2-9 record is the third worst in the Association.
And while Sunday’s matchup was the first opportunity for Marcus Smart to face his former team, he unfortunately suffered a left ankle injury during Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The expectation is he’ll be out for three to five weeks.
Boston could also be shorthanded for its lone game at FedEx Forum this season.
During a sideline inbounds with less than ten seconds left in their victory north of the border, Jaylen Brown slipped on the in-season tournament court, a common occurrence for players on both sides of Friday’s contest.
After the game, members of the Raptors and Celtics expressed their displeasure with the floor’s condition. The two-time All-Star called it “unacceptable.”
Brown told head coach Joe Mazzulla he’s okay after the win, but Boston lists him as questionable with a right adductor strain on its injury report ahead of Sunday’s tilt at FedEx Forum.
Sunday night’s matchup between the Celtics and Grizzlies will tip off at 8:00 EST. Inside The Celtics will continue to update Brown’s status for the game and have content related to the contest coming out before, during, and afterward. Follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
