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Jaylen Brown torches Clippers for 50 points in Saturday night blowout
Brown recorded a new season high and was one point shy of a career high.
The Clippers had no answer for Jaylen Brown on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Brown didn’t just post another 30+ point game. Saturday, he torched the Clippers defense for 50 points, posting his new season high a day after sharing his frustrations about missing out on Eastern Conference player of the month.
Brown got to 50 with extreme efficiency as well, going 18 for 26 (69 percent) from the field and shooting 60 percent (6 for 10) from 3-point territory. He also did so going against a former All-NBA player in Kawhi Leonard, and held him to 6 for 17 shooting from the field.
“It was the end of a road trip so I want to end strong,” Brown said postgame. “I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the game so I wanted to take on the challenge each and every night trying to help my team get wins. … Tonight was just one of those special nights where it felt like every shot was going in.”
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Brown has been dominant all season as Boston’s No. 1 option for the first time in his career. After Saturday, he’s averaging over 30 points per game on the season, the fourth-best mark in the NBA.
His dominant performances are a major reason the Celtics have been able to maintain their playoff pace without Jayson Tatum. Brown has proven without any doubt that he could be the No. 1 option on virtually any team in the NBA, and his impact on his Boston teammates this season is noticeable.
The Celtics bench has been behind Brown all year, and were especially fired up watching him carve up the Clippers.
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“I knew he was gonna come out and play with a chip on shoulder,” Mazzulla said after the game. “He brought it on the offensive end … but I thought his defense was tremendous from start to end. I thought that was one of the most complete games I’ve seen him play.”
Joe Mazzulla noted postgame that Brown specifically asked for the matchup against Leonard.
“He texted me on the plane … I thought that was great. I think that’s a representation of our organization but also the leadership and what he does.”
Following Saturday night, Brown joined elite company in the Celtics record books. He’s now the third player in franchise history with multiple 50-point games. The other two: Tatum and Larry Bird.
The Clippers had won six in a row heading into Saturday night, and Boston still dismantled them with ease thanks to Brown’s dominant night.
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