Looks like Celtics will be missing another key player

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WALTHAM, Mass. – The Boston Celtics are once again preparing to play a big game with a roster that will be slightly more short-handed than usual.

Jaylen Brown, who suffered a right hamstring strain in the second quarter of Boston’s 112-96 Game 7 win over Milwaukee on Saturday, is doubtful to play in Game 1 of Boston’s second-round series against Philadelphia on Monday.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the latest update he received from the medical staff was that Brown still had some soreness and had not tried to do any running-related activities as of Sunday afternoon.

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“He did have some testing and that looked good thankfully,” Stevens said. “So, doubtful for tomorrow … it looks like it could be something that would allow him to play as the series goes on.”

Following Boston’s Game 7 win, Brown said he was told he has a Grade 1 hamstring strain which is the mildest version, often resulting in players having to be sidelined for a few days.

Utah’s Ricky Rubio recently suffered a hamstring injury that’s expected to keep him out for 10 days which likely means he's somewhere along the Grade 1 spectrum for a hamstring strain.

It’s too soon to tell whether Brown will be sidelined that long.

His likely absence continues a season-long trend of Boston players suffering injuries, forcing the Celtics to dig deeper into their bench which has more times than not, been up to the challenge.

When Boston lost Kyrie Irving (left knee procedure) for all of the playoffs along with Marcus Smart (right thumb injury) for nearly six weeks which included the first four games of the Milwaukee series, Terry Rozier was inserted into the starting lineup and became a major factor in Boston moving past the Milwaukee Bucks.

MORE CELTICS: Terry Rozier embracing every bit of his Celtics role

In addition to averaging 17.6 points per game, Rozier also averaged 6.7 assists with 1.6 turnovers. Rozier had a 4:2 assist-to-turnover ratio which led all players in the postseason who averaged at least six assists and played 30 or more minutes.

“Again, what we’ve been doing all year, some of our guys need to get ready and rise up to the occasion,” said Boston’s Al Horford. “And I expect some of those guys to come in and provide us that spark.”

During the playoffs, Brown has been one of Boston’s best players at both ends of the floor.

In seven games (all starts), Brown was second on the team in scoring with a 17.9 points per game average. In addition, Brown also grabbed 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range.

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