Jaylen Brown showed relentless effort both in rebounding and in the paint against the defending champs, showcasing why he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Brown delivered an outstanding offensive performance, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Denver Nuggets. Despite the Celtics’ 115-109 loss, Brown’s individual efforts significantly influenced the game, especially on prime-time television. With Jayson Tatum struggling, Brown’s contributions prevented what could have been a much larger deficit.
Numerous mistakes occurred, particularly ones involving Brown, which included seven free throw misses and several missed inside looks. But it’s unfair to lay all the blame on him, even if he did miss an open dunk opportunity. Live turnovers, missed shots, blown defensive coverages were all factors in the loss.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Brown for his aggressiveness and assertiveness that propelled the offense a majority of the night.
“That’s the type of physicality needed,” coach Mazzulla told CLNS on Brown’s aggressiveness. “I thought he brought that on both ends of the floor.”
As a leader on the team, Brown took ultimate responsibility for the loss, even going as far as to blame himself. He also conveyed a message to the Nuggets that if they were to meet again, things would be different.
“Too many mistakes,” Brown told CLNS on what cost the Celtics the game against the Nuggets. “It’s a good team, we have to take advantage. Turnovers. Free throws. Missing the defensive assignments. All of that stuff we have to be better at, and it starts with me, starts with the top, starts with Jayson [Tatum].”
Despite different coverages thrown as Nikola Jokic, he still managed to put up a triple-double. Brown, always eager to guard the best opponent, “felt like he should’ve guarded Jokic a little bit.”
As the postseason nears, this game had a playoff atmosphere. By the end of the game, Brown recorded an impressive performance, tallying a season-high 41 points along with two steals and four assists. He shot 16-29 from the field, including 2-7 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Brown secured a season-high 14 rebounds, marking a career-best six offensive boards. Scoring 37.6 percent of Boston’s total points, the wingman accounted for 25 of the Celtics 54 points inside the paint.
After putting up seven first quarter points, the dynamic dramatically shifted with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter. It initially started after Brown was called for a weak tech call after a bucket just minutes into the first quarter.
Trailing 36-30, Brown recognized redemption was needed after a missed mid-range jumper over Jamal Murray. On the next possession, he shifted into overdrive. Realizing no one else was seizing control, Brown decided to take charge himself.
Jaylen Brown, featuring the caption “energy shifter” in his Instagram bio, recently shared that his weight has increased, suggesting a corresponding improvement in his strength as we’ve seen. Brown, with a wingspan of seven feet, grabbed a colossal offensive rebound all the way in the corner over Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, and Justin Holiday, after a Derrick White missed shot.
Afterward, he executed a spin maneuver in the paint, facing not one, but two defenders. Despite missing the layup, Brown demonstrated his strength while contending with Holiday. Following several touches, Xavier Tillman tipped the ball back to Brown, who then capitalized on the opportunity, ultimately converting it into an and-1 scoring opportunity despite facing two defenders.
After that, Brown was visibly energized, receiving numerous cheers from Celtics fans in attendance at Ball Arena for the significant game. With the absence of Jokic from the lineup, Brown appeared to capitalize on the size differential, particularly while playing alongside the experimental lineup changes orchestrated by Coach Mazzulla.
Although his back was stiff going into the second half, Brown credits the adrenaline rush to his success on the court.
“Before the game, my back was pretty sore,” Brown told CLNS post-game. “Once I got in the game, the adrenaline kind of kept going. Started getting sore towards the second half. Outside of that, the crowd, the adrenaline, all the pain and stuff goes away.”
From here on out, Brown finished with 15 second quarter points, including six rebounds. While Brown and the C’s were genuinely cold from downtown, he learned to attack down hill, including over Jokic in the paint with his left hand.
“Jaylen had a tremendous game,” Mazzulla told CLNS. “I thought he answered the bell as far as the offensive physicality and the ability to get to the free-throw line. And, the ability to finish through contact.”
Following defensive stops, Brown was already sprinting down the court, ready to receive an outlet pass from Jayson Tatum. Despite the outcome not favoring the Celtics in this instance a lot, I strongly wished they had been able to exploit more opportunities in transition, an area where Denver has historically struggled.
Speaking of transition, Brown spoke on the importance of capitalizing off such opportunities and staying aggressive, especially the way the Nuggets kept Tatum out of sync.
“We’ve got to find different spots to help him [Tatum] out, but also when you do get those opportunities, you got the be more aggressive. Transition, opportunities when they do get the mismatches, said Brown.”
Above all, it was Brown’s hustle and aggressive play inside the paint that left the most significant impression on me. Despite the Celtics often being criticized for their reliance on three-point shots, Brown stood out by frequently driving coast-to-coast, taking advantage of defensive stops. In fact, 58.8 percent of his points came inside the paint, in which 65 percent came from unassisted two-point attempts.
Despite missing several free-throw attempts, Brown assured he felt great in his shooting rhythm that led to a season-high in points.
“I felt good,” Brown told the Celtics reporter Abby Chin. “I got up there and shot it. I felt rhythm. Sometimes it’s a little short and maybe the elevation. I felt fine shooting the ball, and I get up there and shoot it the same way.”
A notable instance occurred with 4:16 remaining in the final quarter when he powered through Michael Porter Jr. for a basket and one opportunity.
A game with such highs and lows, Brown and the Celtics cut the deficit to 109-106 in the fourth quarter, despite being down a game high 12 points earlier. Although the Celtics lost the regular season series against Denver 2-0, is Jaylen Brown’s emergence a reason not to panic? I mean, he’s been masterful over the last games, averaging 26.3 points on 53.2 percent from the floor.
If the rest of the team was on point, and perhaps there weren’t so many mistakes, this game could’ve looked a lot different. There’s no need to panic, this game could’ve been won, and was lost with several missed shots and opportunities. Above all, Boston are still the favorites to win it all.
