Is Jaylen Brown Playing Tonight Against the Pacers? Celtics Star’s Status Explored as He Faces Possible Back-to-Back Absence (Dec. 22)

The Boston Celtics will host the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden on Monday in their first meeting of the season. However, Boston could be without Jaylen Brown, as the star guard is dealing with an illness and faces the possibility of missing back-to-back games.

Brown sat out of the Celtics' 112-96 win against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday due to sickness and was listed as questionable for the game against Indiana.

"Injury Report for tomorrow vs. IND: Jaylen Brown - Illness (Non-Covid) - QUESTIONABLE, Jayson Tatum - Right Achilles Repair - OUT, Jordan Walsh - Illness (Non-Covid) - QUESTIONABLE," the Celtics wrote via X (formerly Twitter).

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The four-time All-Star missed just his second game of the season against the Raptors, with his only other absence coming earlier this month against the Wizards, when he also sat out due to illness.

With the star yet to miss back-to-back games this season, Brown is expected to suit up against the Pacers. However, his availability will be a game-time decision by Joe Mazzulla, who could opt to rest his star guard with the Celtics set to begin a five-game road trip after this matchup.

The Celtics fared well without Brown against the Raptors, cruising to an emphatic win and moving into the third seed. With the Pacers sitting 14th at 6–22, Mazzulla can afford to rest Brown. However, his return would significantly boost Boston, as he has been the team’s standout performer.

Averaging 29.3 ppg, the former Finals MVP has led the Celtics in Jayson Tatum’s absence, and they will hope to have him available against the Pacers.

Jaylen Brown stats vs Indiana Pacers

Jaylen Brown has faced off against the Indiana Pacers 27 times in his NBA career, winning 17 and losing 10. Across those matchups, he has averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, with his best performance being a 44-point outing against them last season.

Brown made his debut against the Pacers in 2016, logging just seven minutes without scoring. In his most recent meeting with Indiana, however, he finished with 31 points and six assists, though the Celtics fell 123–114 in their final game of 2024.

With Brown’s availability for Monday’s game against the Pacers set to be a game-time decision, the Celtics will be hoping to have their star back as he continues to deliver strong performances against their Eastern Conference rivals.

Edited by Arian Kashyap