Bradley was hospitalized for two days last weekend and missed the Celtics’ win over the Suns that Friday.
Bradley returned to face the Miami Heat on Sunday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, but Stevens said the illness returned.
“He’s had a tough week,’’ coach Brad Stevens said.
Bradley was not hospitalized this time, but Stevens said it is unlikely that he will travel with the team to New York on Saturday in advance of the game against the Knicks on Sunday.
Rookie Jaylen Brown started in Bradley’s place in the Celtics’ 117-116 win Friday night, scoring 12 points and grabbing three rebounds in 22:37 of play.
Top of the heap
The Cavaliers beat the 76ers, 122-105, on Friday night to improve their March record to 7-10 record.
It is just the second time in LeBron James’s career that he has lost that many games in a month.
Cleveland’s slide allowed Boston to push into first place in the Eastern Conference, as the Celtics hold a half-game lead over the Cavaliers.
Stevens said he has not been watching Cleveland closely, but he knows it would be a big mistake to conclude that they are on the decline.
“The one thing I do know is they’ll be fine,’’ he said. “Until somebody knocks them off their perch, they’re clearly the team to beat, and deservedly so.’’
With a twist
Three minutes into the game, center Amir Johnson was fouled by Nikola Vucevic as he attempted a 3-pointer. Johnson twisted his ankle on the play and limped off the court 45 seconds later.
He later returned, finishing with 5 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes, and he defended Elfrid Payton’s potentially winning layup in the final seconds. Johnson had a noticeable limp after the game, and said he was not sure if he would play against the Knicks on Sunday.
“I’m going to see how it feels in the morning,’’ he said. “I’ve got it wrapped up right now. I’m gonna wake up early and get some treatment and see how I feel. But it’s fine right now.’’
Johnson, who has attempted just 60 3-pointers all season, said he was surprised to see Vucevic charging to defend his attempt.
“I told Vucevic, ‘Just let me shoot that,’ ’’ Johnson said, smiling. “ ‘You didn’t have to run me off.’ I guess guys are starting to do that now.’’
Job well done
Stevens, who guided Butler University to consecutive national title games in 2010 and 2011, reached out to Gonzaga coach Mark Few to congratulate him on guiding the Bulldogs to their first ever Final Four appearance.
Since then, the two have exchanged text messages, with Stevens offering advice about what to expect during this week that is at once electrifying and dizzying.
“I just talked about my perspective and then what our team did to kind of get away from it, because it’s a really long week,’’ Stevens said. “By the time Saturday’s games tip off, you’re like, ‘Can we please just play the game.’ But it’s a great week for him. There is no better person than Mark Few.’’
Top-seeded Gonzaga — Kelly Olynyk’s former school — faces No. 7-seeded South Carolina in Saturday night’s first national semifinal.
Rest stop
Celtics have just one set of games on back-to-back nights remaining, and Stevens generally feels comfortable with how playing time has been distributed and practices have been minimized in an attempt to reduce wear and tear on the players.
Also, the Celtics have had so many minor injuries that many players have received rest that way.
Still, Stevens said he will consider resting starters at times over the final two weeks of the regular season.
“We’ll go over total minutes played, games missed to injury, sickness, etc., and we’ll go through that,’’ he said.
“Obviously we want to play fresh with a clear mind when the playoffs start. But I do think we’re in pretty good shape in that regard.’’
Off target
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has never been a good 3-point shooter, but since the All-Star break his long-range marksmanship has taken an even more notable turn for the worse.
In 19 games, he is shooting just .185 (15 for 81) from beyond the arc.
But Stevens said he remains confident that Smart will make these shots when they matter most.
“I believe in him shooting when it comes to him,’’ he said, “and obviously he’ll have to make the right decisions.’’
Smart made 31.1 percent of his 3-point tries prior to the All-Star break and entered Friday shooting 27.7 percent this season.
