Brown and Horford out for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers

The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown (back) and Al Horford (rest) for Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team announced Thursday.

Brown is still feeling the effects of a nasty fall he took in last Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks when he tried to block a Maxi Kleber layup attempt late in the fourth quarter. Though X-Rays came back negative after the game, according to NBCSports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, soreness in Brown’s tailbone kept him out of the Celtics last game against the New Orleans Pelicans and will continue to for at least this next game.

Fortunately for the Celtics, Horford will be absent simply due to rest. The veteran big man had been dealing with some left knee soreness over the past week or so, so sitting him down isn’t a bad idea in order to keep him fresh. Horford has played in all but one of the team’s games this year and is third on the team in total minutes with an even 600.

Both will have a chance to return Saturday when the Celtics visit the Minnesota Timberwolves. After this weekend’s back-to-back, the Celtics will get some extended rest with four more days off.