BOSTON — The Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, as big man Xavier Tillman Sr. netted a floater to capture a 110-108 lead for the Green Team with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Raptors couldn’t even answer with a shot attempt, allowing the Celtics to wrap up the preseason with a narrow home win.
Unfortunately for Boston, Tillman’s late heroics weren’t the main takeaway from the preseason finale. Celtics star Jaylen Brown left the contest midway through the first quarter due to tightness in his left hamstring. Brown wasn’t moving particularly well as he headed to the bench and after a brief talk with a few of Boston’s trainers, he went to the locker room.
Although the Celtics initially listed him as doubtful, Brown never returned. He finished the contest with 7 points and 2 rebounds in just 7 minutes of play.
Following the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla admitted he wasn’t able to talk to Brown for a long time about his injury. But, he could say that Brown told him that he’ll be “fine.”
“I think he’ll be ok,” Mazzulla said. “I talked to him after (the game) and he said he’ll be fine. But I didn’t get a full update.”
In Brown’s absence, Celtics guard Derrick White was granted a much larger role in the team’s offense. He excelled with the added responsibility, torching the Raptors with a game-high 33 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
If Brown’s initial sense of being “fine” turns out to be wrong, White should continue to serve as the primary source of points for Boston. That’s a bit of a troubling thought for the C’s, who are already without star forward Jayson Tatum for multiple months (at least) as he rehabs a ruptured Achilles.
No matter what Brown’s true status is, the Celtics will have a week until the start of the 2025-26 season. Boston opens the regular season at home on October 22 against the Philadelphia 76ers — another team with a few health concerns.
And since six of Boston’s seven games to kick off the 2025-26 campaign are against teams with playoff aspirations, it would truly need Brown healthy to escape its initial gauntlet with a winning record.
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