Jaylen Brown is out with ongoing hip flexor issues

Brown said the initial MRI showed he had some fluid in the area.

“I don’t miss games, especially at the start of the year, but it did bother me,” he said. “It’s been 2½ weeks.”

Additionally, the Celtics were relatively healthy this early in the season Kristaps Porzingis. Several clubs were plagued by injuries at the start of the season, most recently Orlando – All-Star Paolo Banchero will be out for at least a month with an oblique injury.

Brown couldn't promise he would return for Monday's game in his native Atlanta.

“I didn’t feel like my legs were underneath me and I was struggling with that hip flexor,” he said. “It affects more of my explosion and breakout. And then I mentally try to figure it out too. When I think about it, it messes things up a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”

Williams and Tatum make peace

According to an NBA source, Grant Williams And Jayson Tatum spoke after Friday's emotional game, in which Williams was sent off with two minutes left for a Flagrant 2 foul on Tatum.

Williams rammed Tatum during a quick counterattack, knocking Tatum onto his butt. Tatum immediately got up, walked past Williams and went to the free throw line. He did not speak to the media after the game.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he had not spoken to Tatum about the incident other than asking if he was OK.

The officials deemed the action reckless and immediately sent Williams off. The former Celtic said the act was unintentional and that he considered Tatum one of his closest friends. Williams apparently apologized to Tatum after Friday's game and Tatum accepted. Both were in the squad on Saturday.

Brown said after Friday's game that he realizes teams will try to get physical with the Celtics to send a message. He declared his team ready for the attack.

“I drive for all my guys in the locker room, and teams like to send messages and try to set the tone and do all sorts of things to either throw us out of character or mess with our minds or make us feel like that we are soft,” he said. “We don’t want that. That's it. We just don’t do that.”

A day later, Brown said he had no problem with the tactic.

“It’s part of the game and I like it,” he said. “I embrace physicality. When it comes down to it, I feel like I win these matches.”

Into the rotation?

Neemias Queta becomes a legitimate banking option for Mazzulla. He contributed 12 points and six rebounds in Friday's win after playing a key role in the fourth quarter and overtime in Wednesday's narrow loss to the Pacers.

Luke Kornet got the start on Friday and played 23 minutes, but it was Queta who finished the game. The same thing happened on Saturday, with Queta posting 4 points, 3 rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes.

With the increase of Queta's minutes, Xavier Tillmans The role has decreased. He played just three minutes on Saturday after receiving his first DNP of the season on Friday.

More movements

The Hornets also had some adjustments to the lineup Saturday, with the addition of a second-year swingman Brandon Miller Returned to the field after missing three games with a hip injury. Charlotte was missing two starters – Nick Richardswho injured his shoulder in a collision with Kornet, and Seth Currywho was scratched because of pain in his right knee. . . Al Horford returned to the Celtics' lineup after missing Friday's game due to a layoff, but was held scoreless in just four attempts in 27 minutes. . . LaMelo Ball Friday followed a 31-point performance with a game-high 36. Several Celtics were impressed by one particular shot during the former – Ball hit a corner 3-pointer in front of Boston's bench to beat the shot clock and left it despite of difficulty whirring angles and little time for release.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.