Jaylen Brown will likely be out of action until at least the end of the All-Star break after the Boston Celtics confirmed he had suffered a facial fracture.
The injury occurred during the Celtics' home win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, when Brown was met with some friendly fire as fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum accidentally nailed him with an elbow to the face while both attacked an offensive rebound.
Brown immediately left the contest holding his face and did not return, and now it has been confirmed that he will miss some time to let it heal.
The 26-year-old wing is enjoying the highest-scoring season of his career, earning his second All-Star selection with averages of 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting a career-best 48.7 per cent from the field.
He will be unable to play in the All-Star Game, creating another opportunity for a reserve to earn selection as Kevin Durant has also been ruled out of the Eastern Conference's Team Giannis.
Brown will miss the four remaining Celtics games before the break, and it is unlikely he will be ready to go when the season resumes on February 23.
However, players have been known to make speedy returns from facial injuries if they are willing to wear a protective mask, and Brown posted to his Instagram story a photo of his facial swelling with the caption "mask coming".
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