NEW ORLEANS — Jaylen Brown was unable to play Monday night against the Pelicans after injuring his back, more specifically his tailbone, in a severe fall against Dallas on Saturday.

The Celtics’ starting guard was hurt attempting to defend a Maxi Kleber drive with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter. He said afterward he couldn’t remember the play.

All he knew for sure Monday night was it still hurt.

“I’m sitting on a cushion. That’s how I’m feeling right now,” Brown said. “I think it’s just sore, I’ve been getting some treatment. It feels a little bit better. I don’t think it’s going to be too long of a thing, but it is hard to sit down, but I’ll be all right. . . . I did some pool stuff this morning, stuff like that to get active. It’s a (nuisance) of an injury, but I’ll be all right.

“I didn’t know how much you use your tailbone. Any time you bend over, any time you lift your legs up or try to push off any type of way, pain. So as soon as I’m able to tolerate it, I’ll be back.”

Brown is fortunate the Celtics don’t play again until Friday’s Garden visit by Cleveland, but Coach Brad Stevens was uncertain about his prognosis Monday night.

TRADE WINDS SWIRL

It can’t be comfortable for the Pelicans that franchise talent Anthony Davis is constantly being talked about in trade rumors. Davis can opt out of his contract after next season, and all the talk centers on New Orleans moving him before then to bring a huge return, helping a club that already is good but is unlikely to unseat the top teams in the West.

And while the Celtics can’t try to deal for Davis now (he’s under a Rose Rule max contract, and they already have one in Kyrie Irving), they no doubt will make a pitch for him next summer.

Meanwhile, Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry is avoiding the noise.

“That’s what you guys talk about,” he said of the Davis rumors. “We don’t talk about it. So he’s here. He’s playing on our team. We’re trying to win games. That’s the only thing that matters right now. It’s not anything that I’m going to have a say-so in or anything else, so we don’t bother about it. We worry about winning games and putting everybody in the best situation to win games.”

HAYWARD ON FLOOR

Gordon Hayward was back in the rotation against the Pelicans after sitting out the Mavericks game to deal with maintenance on his surgically repaired left ankle.

The Dallas game was the second night of a back-to-back (the Celtics played Friday in Atlanta), so the timing was right, but Hayward went through an extensive pregame set of strength and balance exercises Saturday.

Coming off two of his better games of the season made skipping a game difficult, but Hayward gets the bigger picture.

“At this point in time, it’s just part of the deal, so I’m kind of used to it,” he said. “It’s about the long-term benefits of the rest and making sure that my body’s right and staying right. So it’s just part of the process.”

As for getting his game back to his expected level, Hayward said, “It’s starting to come along, I think. I’m just trying to take it game by game.”

IRVING: TALK IT UP

Irving has been thinking about the Celtics’ problems and how to solve them.

“Just more communication,” he said. “Also, I think, just opening more up to the roles that we all have and just doing things without overthinking it. I think that really comes down to it, as well, just basketball. Trying to overthink it, it can be a little bit overwhelming at times, especially for a new group that we have trying to figure things out.”

MOORE FINDS HOME

E’Twaun Moore was a second-round draft pick by the Celtics in 2011 (55th overall) and detoured to Orlando and Chicago before finding a home with the Pelicans. This is the 6-foot-4 guard’s third year here and second as a starter.

“I’m a big E’Twaun fan,” Stevens said. “Have been. He’s an Indiana kid, played at Purdue. I watched him grow up, and I think E’Twaun’s about all the right things, and I’m happy for his success.”

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