Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points Saturday night while strengthening their case to start alongside each other in this year’s NBA All-Star game, set to be played Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.
Tatum poured in a game-high 34 points while Brown notched 29 of his own. Brown has now scored at least 29 points during seven of his last eight games. One more point from him would have secured the duo’s 19th career game of simultaneous 30-plus point performances.
As has been customary this season, the two stars seamlessly took turns leading the Celtics into the victory circle.
Brown opened the game in red-hot fashion, which has become the norm of late. He scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting for his fifth double-digit first quarter in his last seven games. Tatum then took over the next two quarters by scoring 13 points during the second and another 11 during the third.
As the duo entered the final period, they had already combined for 51 points on 20-of-42 shooting.
Each player scored six points during the final frame, including Tatum’s go-ahead jumper with 33.7 seconds left which stood as the decisive points in the game.
Need a bucket? You know who to call 📞 pic.twitter.com/ubrDWh8DEe
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 8, 2023
The victory marked Boston’s league-leading 28th of the season, which is one of the most important factors on the players’ All-Star resumés. They have been the leading scorers all season long for the team that has been atop the league for nearly the entirety of the season.
Tatum’s and Brown’s numbers strengthen their individual cases as well. Tatum ranks fifth in the league with an average of 30.8 points per game, while Brown ranks 15th with an average of 27.0 PPG.
Tatum is battling with longtime All-Star starters Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid for a starting role. Only three of those players will start, and Tatum ranks fourth in that group in current fan voting, a mere 49,396 votes behind Embiid.
What fans should recognize as they vote, however, is that Tatum ranks third among that group in scoring and has been the best player on the best team all season long. His case for a starting role appears to be quite clear.
Brown, meanwhile, is competing with former teammate Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden for a starting spot. Only two of those players will start. Brown also ranks fourth among that group but is in a tight race with Harden, who leads Brown by 129,071 votes. Again, the case for Brown to climb up those rankings is rather clear.
Brown ranks 15th in the league in scoring, while Harden ranks just 31st with an average of 22.1 PPG. Brown also owns a significant advantage in rebounding average (7.0 RPG to 6.0) and field goal percentage (49.7 percent to 42.5 percent) over Harden. Similarly, Brown is outperforming Irving in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks averages this season. And let’s not forget that other important note: the Celtics have been above the 76ers and the Nets in the standings all season long.
Neither Brown nor Tatum are likely to finish atop their positions in fan voting, but the higher they finish, the better chance they have at starting. The fan voting results account for 50 percent of the final voting results, while the player and media panels each account for 25 percent.
So the moral of the story here? Tatum and Brown continue to be the best duo in the NBA, on the best team in the NBA, and they need the league’s fans to follow the trail of evidence that says they should be starting alongside each other come Feb. 19.
Malcolm Brogdon Continues To Sizzle
Much praise will be heaped upon Tatum and Brown after yet another dominant performance by the star duo. The re-emergence of Malcolm Brogdon, however, must also be highlighted.
Brogdon reclaimed his early-season magic during this four-game road trip. He scored at least 15 points off the bench during each of the final three games, culminating with a masterful 23-point performance Saturday night. He drained eight of his 12 shots, and five of his six 3-pointers, to account for his 23 points against the Spurs. The versatile guard also provided seven assists on the night while not committing a single turnover.
This spurt of play is a welcomed sight for the Celtics, who have a player in Brogdon who could certainly win the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Brogdon had struggled during the latter half of December through New Year’s Day, shooting just 36.5 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from long range over a seven-game span. He has now bounced back to average 18.3 points on 50/64.3/93.3 shooting splits over the final three games of the road trip.
Brogdon is a key cog in Boston’s pursuit of a championship this season. When he plays at this level alongside Tatum and Brown, the Celtics are very difficult to beat. As such, Boston’s long-term success will be closely tied to his level of play.