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Pregame Post-Ups: Another Hiccup for C’s Starting 5

Friday, March 24 - Suns at Celtics

Pregame – Another Hiccup for C’s Starting 5

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics preferred starting five has put together a rare stretch of good health over the last couple of games.

Friday night, however, the rotation will suffer another minor hiccup when the C's host the Phoenix Suns.

Brad Stevens announced ahead of tip-off that Avery Bradley will miss the contest due to a stomach bug that was severe enough that the guard had to be hospitalized.

“I’m not sure if he’s been released from the hospital yet, but he was in the hospital most of the afternoon,” said Stevens. “So hopefully he’ll be home soon and get some rest.”

Jaylen Brown will earn his 18th start of the season tonight in place of Bradley at the 2. The C’s have had solid success with the rookie in the starting rotation so far this season, with a 10-7 record when he starts.

Brown was also in the starting rotation on March 5 when the C’s played in Phoenix. He logged 14 points, six rebounds and three assists during that game. The Celtics, however, lost the contest in heartbreaking fashion as they surrendered five points during the final four seconds, capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by rookie point guard Tyler Ulis.

The Suns enter tonight’s game with the third-worst record in the NBA (22-50), but Boston has not forgotten the loss it suffered to them earlier this month, so the C’s will not be taking Phoenix lightly during this matchup.

“They just play hard. They’re well-coached,” said Stevens. “Obviously Ulis had a terrific game against us. (Devin) Booker is one of the most talented players in the league. I think (Marquese) Chriss and and (Alex) Len and (TJ) Warren’s growth has all been good. They beat us and they were up 15 at the start of the third and we just weren’t as good as they were on that night, regardless of what happened on the last couple of plays, so we’re going to have to play a lot better than that to have a chance to win.”

It won’t be easy to do so without the presence of Bradley in the starting lineup, but Boston – less than three weeks removed from a loss against the Suns – is well-prepared and well-aware of what this Phoenix squad is capable of.

- Taylor C. Snow