Jaylen Brown ruled out vs.

Jaylen Brown has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with left Achilles tendinitis. This comes one night after he torched the Hornets for 35 points and 9 rebounds.

The Celtics are clearly managing Brown's workload with the playoffs starting April 18. The Achilles issue developed gradually through overuse this season and first showed up in late March when he missed two games. Brown has played through it at times — and played well — but Boston isn't taking chances with their second-best player heading into a title defense.

Derrick White is also dealing with a knee issue, and the Celtics have several players managing minor ailments. With the 2-seed within reach and three games left, expect Boston to be strategic about who plays and when. The regular season doesn't matter if Brown's Achilles isn't right for the playoffs.