Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers tip off their 2025-26 campaigns with a rivalry clash on the TD Garden parquet. Fortunately for the hosts, concerns about Jaylen Brown's availability are dissipating.
The four-time All-Star tweaked his left hamstring in the first frame of Boston's preseason finale last week. Celtics fans held their collective breath after seeing Brown reach for the back of his leg before subbing out and departing to the locker room. However, he said Monday at the Auerbach Center that even in the moment, he wasn't too concerned about it.
Joe Mazzulla's updates on the 2024 NBA Finals MVP validated that sentiment. Two days after Boston capped its exhibition slate with a 110-108 victory vs. the Toronto Raptors, Brown's bench boss said he "was able to do everything but the live stuff."
Since then, he has repeatedly been a full participant at practice. Addressing his status for opening night, Brown stated Monday, "We'll see. We'll take it one day at a time, but as of now, I feel great."
After fully taking part in the Celtics' practice again on Tuesday, Boston lists the former All-NBA Second Team selection as questionable on its first injury report before opening night.
While the situation remains day-to-day, Brown appears to be trending towards being in the lineup against the Sixers. Jayson Tatum, rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon, is the only other player on the hosts' injury report.
The latest on Paul George and Joel Embiid's status
While it seems like the Celtics will have Brown in the lineup on Wednesday night at TD Garden, the visitors will not have their star wing available.
Philadelphia's head coach, Nick Nurse, recently shared that the 76ers do not expect Paul George to play on opening night. The nine-time All-Star is dealing with a knee injury. Tuesday, they ruled him out as he continues his recovery. However, he recently progressed to three-on-three activities. So, perhaps his season debut isn't far away.
While George is unlikely to play, the Sixers anticipate having Joel Embiid patrolling the pivot in Wednesday's rivalry clash. A knee injury limited the former league MVP to 19 games last season. Providing an update on his status, in a recent appearance on NBATV, veteran insider Chris Haynes reported, "it does look good" for the latter suiting up vs. the Celtics.
Sure enough, the two-time scoring champion is not on Philadelphia's injury report. The other two players listed are Jared McCain, who is recovering from right thumb surgery, and Trendon Watford, who is dealing with left hamstring tightness. The latter two are inactive for Wednesday's contest.
While discussing trying to limit Embiid's impact, Derrick White voiced to Hardwood Houdini after practice on Tuesday, "He's one of the best bigs in the game. I don't know if there's anybody in the league that can guard him. So, it's a team effort."
While the former league MVP will present problems in the paint and on the boards, he will have to try to keep pace with a Celtics team shifting gears to an up-tempo approach.
That chess match is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday.