How Jaylen dealt with hand injury after cut 'split open' vs. Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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The Celtics didn't have to sweat too much in their Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
But if there was any mild concern after Boston's 102-99 victory, it involved Jaylen Brown's stitched-up right hand.
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Brown, who needed five stitches between a pair of fingers after cutting his hand on a glass vase last week, admitted the laceration "split open" during Saturday's game. The Celtics star briefly headed to the locker room during the first half -- presumably to get his hand checked out -- before returning to action a few minutes later.
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"It's fine now," Brown said of his hand. " ... I think it's gonna be all right. I guess take a look at it tomorrow."
Despite playing with a small wrap and padding on his right hand, Brown delivered a game-high 29 points on 12 of 23 shooting, adding 12 rebounds and three assists while playing strong defense. Brown said the injury did impact him, though -- particularly in the ball-handling department, where he committed a game-high six turnovers.
"It's a constant adjustment, making sure I get good grip on the ball," Brown said. "Six turnovers tonight, so I definitely gotta clean that up. That's really it."
Brown said pain wasn't necessarily an issue with his right hand, but comfortability was lacking at times.
"Especially with the adrenaline during the game, you kind of just get it going," Brown said. "There were times throughout the game that I had to readjust it and stuff like that. There's a lot of padding on it, so it's a different feel shooting the ball. Just adjusting and adapting to the game, that's it."
The Celtics obviously need Brown at his best if they want to make a deep postseason run, so it's worth monitoring his hand injury throughout this first-round series. The good news is that Boston plays just two times in the next six days, which could allow his hand more time to heal.
Game 2 of Celtics-Hawks is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden, with pregame coverage on NBC Sports Boston starting at 6 p.m. ET.
