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Injuries are having a major impact on the NBA playoffs.

A tweak Cordy Glenn Jersey Bengals , turn or strain to this or that has sidelined or limited players from All-Stars to reserves – and that has influenced the early outcomes of Round 2.

After Jaylen Brown strained his right hamstring in Boston’s Game 7 win over Milwaukee, he all but begged the Celtics doctors and trainers to let him suit up for the start of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with Philadelphia.

Boston managed to win without him in its 117-101 victory over the sluggish 76ers in Game 1 Monday night, thanks to career nights by Al Horford, Terry Rozier and rookie Jayson Tatum.

But despite two days or rest and treatment, coach Brad Stevens said Brown is ”very doubtful” for Game 2 on Thursday night.

”The bottom line is with this hamstring injury is it’s not terrible. Not a long-term thing. It shouldn’t linger if he comes back at the right time,” Stevens said.

If Brown can’t go for Game 2, it will again put stress on a Celtics rotation that just recently got back Marcus Smart from a right thumb surgery.

Fred VanVleet appeared to tweak his right shoulder in the second half of the Raptors‘ 113-112 overtime loss to Cleveland in Game 1 of their series Tuesday night. He missed most of Toronto’s first-round series against Washington with shoulder problems, but the Raptors still turned to him with the game on the line against the Cavaliers. VanVleet missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning moments of regulation and another in the extra frame.

”I wish I wasn’t hurt,” he said, ”but I’m not looking for any excuses.”

Elsewhere in the league, the return of some players and absence of others has been just as noticeable.

Stephen Curry, who sat out all of Golden State’s first-round series win over San Antonio with a sprained ligament in his left knee, gave the Warriors a major lift in his return for Game 2 of the Golden State’s semifinal matchup with the Pelicans on Tuesday night.

Ricky Rubio missed the Jazz’s series-opening loss against Houston on Sunday with a left hamstring injury and is out indefinitely. The Rockets’ Luc Mbah a Moute returned in Game 1 from the dislocated right shoulder he sustained last month. Houston originally thought he’s be out a full month, but he came back ahead of schedule and didn’t show any lingering effects from the injury in 21 minutes of action.

A closer look at Thursday’s games:

CAVALIERS AT RAPTORS

Cavaliers lead 1-0. Game 2, 6 p.m. EDT Cheap Darius Leonard Jersey , ESPN.

NEED TO KNOW: The Raptors have lost seven straight playoff games against the Cavaliers, dating to the 2016 Eastern Conference finals, and blew a chance to take a lead in the series by coughing up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 1 . The Raptors missed four potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation, and a wide-open 3 by VanVleet late in overtime.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas. He had 21 points and 21 rebounds in Game 1 and shot 7 for 19, but missed five of six attempts in the fourth. On Wednesday, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he can live with Valanciunas getting looks in the post if it means fewer touches for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and fewer 3-point attempts by the Raptors.

INJURY UPDATE: While VanVleet acknowledged he’s still dealing with discomfort in his shoulder, he plans to play through it for now.

PRESSURE IS ON: The Raptors. The top-seeded team in the East has already surrendered home court advantage to its playoff nemesis and is 0-5 all-time on the road against Cleveland in the postseason. If Toronto can’t even this series before it shifts to Ohio, it might not be coming back across the border for Game 5.

76ERS AT CELTICS

Celtics lead 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.

NEED TO KNOW: The Celtics negated the athleticism of the 76ers in Game 1 by knocking down 17 3-pointers. Before the big scoring nights by Rozier (29 points), Tatum (28 points) and Horford (26 points), the Celtics hadn’t had three players score 25 or more points in a playoff game since 2009.

KEEP AN EYE ON: 76ers C Joel Embiid. He had 31 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, becoming the first Philadelphia player to register 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Allen Iverson in 2001. But he said the focus will be on defense in Game 2. ”We didn’t stick to the game plan,” he said. ”There’s a lot of stuff we can definitely correct.”

INJURY UPDATE: Smart said Wednesday that his thumb remained ”a little sore” after Game 1 but added ”I’m good to go” for Game 2.

PRESSURE IS ON: The 76ers. They entered the series on six days of rest but were doomed by a slow start in Game 1. This young group mostly cruised over the final three games last series against Miami. Being down 0-2 with its home court to defend is a lot to ask against a Celtics team playing with a lot of confidence.

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AP Freelance Writer Ian Harrison contributed to this report from Toronto.

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鈥?The Los Angeles Rams exceeded every expectation and stunned the NFL during their surge to an 11-win season and the NFC West title.That didn’t make the Rams’ opening-round playoff loss to Atlanta any easier to bear 鈥?at least not while it’s still fresh for the players and coaches who led the turnaround to get there.“It’s a good start Kolton Miller Jersey , a great start,” receiver Robert Woods said Sunday. “But we’ve got to keep building.”The Rams’ comeback season is over after a 26-13 loss to the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night. The players still seemed stunned by the abrupt conclusion to a remarkable turnaround season as they cleaned out their lockers at the team’s training complex.“It’s hard, because we had a good thing going,” guard Jamon Brown said. “For it to come to a halt and stop like it did, it’s tough. But we learned that we have the guys to do it. It was a matter of having the scheme, having the right coaches, having the right attitude. We’re going to get better.”After 13 consecutive non-winning seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons, the Rams (11-6) suddenly had it all under 31-year-old Sean McVay, who became the youngest head coach in league history to reach the playoffs. Los Angeles improved by seven wins on last season’s performance while moving from 32nd in the NFL in scoring in 2016 to first this season, more than doubling last season’s point production.Although McVay said he isn’t sure exactly what to do this week, he hopes his players will understand they’re only as good as what happens next year. After outstanding seasons from Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and Aaron Donald, the Rams have pieces in place to do this again and again, McVay believes.“I think this organization is going in the right direction,” McVay said. “I think we’ve got a good foundation in place that we can build on Authentic Lamar Jackson Jersey , but by no means does that mean that you win games automatically next year. While we did win some games this year, you still have to earn everything.”The Rams have several decisions to make in the offseason on the fates of free-agent players including cornerback Trumaine Johnson, receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Connor Barwin. But after a season that revitalized a franchise and a fan base, McVay and the Rams appear to be on the way up.Here are more things to watch as the Rams move on:TRU STORY: Six Rams starters will be unrestricted free agents, including three defensive backs: Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner and Nickell Robey-Coleman. Johnson played the last two seasons under the franchise tag, but is likely to get a big contract this offseason as an elite cover cornerback. Los Angeles must navigate potential upheaval in the secondary, perhaps by drafting a cornerback or safety, if it hopes to return with another strong defense.PAY THE MAN: Donald is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Rams seem unlikely to force their All-Pro defensive lineman into another holdout 鈥?except that also seemed unlikely this season, when Donald skipped the entirety of training camp and didn’t play in the first regular-season game. Donald is the Rams’ defensive cornerstone, and getting a record-setting deal done will be high on general manager Les Snead’s to-do list, just as it was last year.SAMMY’S FUTURE: Watkins occasionally clicked with Goff after arriving during the preseason in a trade with Buffalo, catching 39 passes for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. But Goff clearly had more familiarity with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, and it showed. Watkins is a free agent Authentic Weston Richburg Jersey , but could be kept in LA with the franchise tag or the transition tag. Watkins said he would love to stay with the Rams, but added: “I just know it’s a business. Since I got traded from the Bills, it’s like anything can happen. I didn’t see that coming. I think I played pretty hard this year, and I can’t wait to see what my future holds, here or anywhere else.”NEW QBs COACH?: McVay all but confirmed that quarterbacks coach Greg Olson is talking about moving to Oakland to work for new coach Jon Gruden, who happens to be McVay’s mentor. If Olson leaves, Goff will have his third position coach in three seasons. McVay encourages his assistants to move up in the coaching world, but he also hopes to keep the rest of his staff intact, saying he anticipates no changes other than the possible departure of Olson.UNSWEET HOME: The Rams’ playoff loss was their fifth in eight games this season at the Coliseum, where the franchise is just 4-11 since returning home from St. Louis in 2016. The Rams also lost their final three home games this year despite increasingly raucous crowds while their improved play grabbed the attention of LA’s long-abandoned football fans. Linebacker Alec Ogletree believes the Rams had a strong us-against-the-world vibe while going 8-1 away from the Coliseum this season, but nobody is quite sure how to replicate it. With two seasons left in the Coliseum before the opening of their lavish Inglewood palace, McVay said the Rams must figure out how to play better at home..