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‘That boy nice’: Jaylen Brown weighs in on Dennis Schrƶder’s 38-point performance
The TD Garden crowd serenaded Schrƶder with "M-V-P" chants.
As Dennis Schröder attempted his final free throw late Friday night at TD Garden, an appreciative crowd enthusiastically serenaded him with “M-V-P” chants.
Though it might have been a bit of a lighthearted exaggeration, Schröder was without question the most valuable player on the floor in the Celtics’ 122-113 overtime triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished with 38 points on 16-of-27 shooting, hitting three 3-pointers and adding eight rebounds and three assists in 41 minutes.
The first-year Celtic hit several clutch shots in the fourth quarter and overtime as Boston outlasted the defending champs in a battle of shorthanded teams.
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The Celtics — who earned their first overtime win in four tries this season — were once again without Jaylen Brown due to a hamstring injury. Brown said he feels “no pain” but is electing to play it safe.
“I’m not overly concerned about it, but I do want to make sure it’s not an ongoing issue,” Brown said. “[The medical staff] wants to make sure I do all the proper stuff this time to make sure this doesn’t happen again later in the season.”
In Brown’s absence, Schröder has taken his game to the next level. Since Brown has been sidelined, Schröder has averaged 26 points per game and has hit more than half of both his shots and 3-pointers in a starting role.
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He did a little bit of everything Friday, scoring from all levels and hitting timely shots when the Celtics really needed them. Schröder consistently used his quickness to blow by defenders, and he finished with the second-highest point total of his career (his career-high is 41).
Afterward, Brown — who also embraced and lauded Schröder during a TV interview — expressed his appreciation for his new teammate.
“That boy nice,” Brown tweeted.
The Celtics, who have won four of five, are starting to resemble the team many expected they would be when the season began. Schröder’s emergence has been the main reason why.
“I’m just trying to get really comfortable with this team,” Schröder told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth. “It’s 12 games in, so I’m trying to get to know my teammates and compete when we get on the floor.”
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