Key Moment
For the second time in as many games, the Boston Celtics put their foot down on their opponent to turn a tight game into a blowout. Sunday night’s casualty was suffered by the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio actually led 47-45 midway through the second quarter before the Celtics grabbed complete control of the game. Boston rattled off an 18-4 run to pull ahead 63-51 and it never looked back from there.
Jaylen Brown was right at the center of the run, and he’s the player who ignited it to begin with. He put home a driving layup at the 5:16 mark to tie the game up at 47-47 and then scored or assisted on 12 of Boston’s next 16 points. He scored eight of the run’s 18 points overall, and assisted on six more.
The highlight of the run was a soaring, throw-in dunk that Brown put home over Sandro Mamukelashvili with 3:57 remaining in the quarter. Brown caught a pass in transition from Malcolm Brogdon and rose up off of two feet for the dunk attempt before throwing it in from just a couple of feet out from the hoop.
That play brought the TD Garden crowd to its feet and Boston’s energy to an entirely different level. The Celtics ran away for the win from that point on, pulling ahead by as many as 47 before depositing a 137-93 victory into the win column.
Key Player
You’re gonna hear and read a lot about Jaylen Brown tonight. It’s just how it has to be.
There’s no avoiding it after the two-time All-Star put forth one of the most dominant performances of his impressive career. Brown poured in 41 points Sunday night against San Antonio while making 62.1 percent of his shots from the field. That’s a notable feat given that Brown attempted 29 shots during the contest. He shot 18-for-29 overall, including an eye-popping 16-for-19 from inside the 3-point arc.
While scoring all of those points, Brown also threatened to tie his career high in rebounds. He hauled in 13 on the night, which fell just two shy of his top career mark.
Brown rounded out his box score with three assists and a steal, all while helping Boston to outscore San Antonio by 28 points while he was on the floor.
Box Score Nuggets
- Boston led by as many as 47 points during the win.
- The C's outshot the Spurs by 20 percent: 57.1 percent to 37.1 percent.
- Jaylen Brown led the game with 41 points and 13 rebounds.
- Malcolm Brogdon came off of Boston's bench to tally 20 points and a game-high nine assists.
- All 12 Celtics who checked into the game logged plus/minus ratings of at least plus-11. Derrick White's plus-41 led the game.
- Derrick White scored 19 points while shooting 7-for-11 from the field.
- Zach Collins led San Antonio with 21 points and seven rebounds.
- Boston totaled 62 points in the paint.
- The C's outscored San Antonio 29-8 in fast break points.
- Mike Muscala made three of his four 3-pointers off the bench.
Quote of the Night
"I think my mom wants me to keep wearing it, so we'll see. But for now, it's here to stay."
- Jaylen Brown on if his black mask is here to stay