Recap: Brown’s 34 Carries Celtics Past Magic, 112-96
(AP Photo) | SOURCE: Michael Dwyer
The question has been asked for years: WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Jaylen Brown answered that question today by pouring in 34 points on 12-24 shooting, including 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. He did this 1in 33 minutes to pace all five starters in double figures. The Boston Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak with a 112-96 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Jayson Tatum scored 23 points, Kemba Walker had 14, Daniel Theis added 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Marcus Smart chipped in with 11 points and 8 assists.
Orlando was led by Nikola Vucevic who had 22 points and 13 rebounds. James Ennis had 18 off the bench and Evan Fournier added 16 points as well.
Boston used 8 points from Tatum, 8 more from Brown, and 6 from Marcus Smart to take a 31-27 lead after the first period. Vucevic had 10 first-quarter points for the Magic to help keep the score close as the rest of Orlando’s offense struggled.
The Celtics picked up the defensive pressure and intensity in the second quarter. They used the hot shooting of Brown, who hit back-to-back three-point field goals, and Tatum (8 points) along with 4 points from Daniel Theis to take a 60-48 lead into halftime. The Celtics’ defense held the Magic to 17 points in the quarter.
Brown really got hot in the third as he hit three three-point shots on his way to 11 points in the period. The Celtics as a team ramped up their three-point shooting by hitting 9 triples in the quarter to lead 89-73 after the third. Walker made 2, Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith, Smart, and Theis all hit one in leading the Celtics to a 23-54 three-point shooting game. It was enough for the most threes made in a game this season.
The Magic made a late push in the final period, cutting the lead down to 8 at 91-83 with 9:27 left in the game. Boston then went on a 9-2 run to push the lead back up to 100-85. Brown hit three more three-point field goals in the fourth to push his total for the game to 10. That’s the second-most in a game in Celtics history behind Smart’s 11 in a game vs the Phoenix Suns last season.
Boston will look to extend their winning streak to two when they take on the Grizzlies tomorrow. Unfortunately, they’ll be without Kemba Walker, as he is sitting out on the second night of back-to-backs this season. That game tips off at 9:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
