BSJ Game Report: Celtics 136, Wizards 107 - Brown's heater continues, role players step up

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Wizards, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Second chance points killed the Celtics in the first quarter as Washington built a 12-point lead. Boston flipped that and then some with monster second to go up 10 at halftime. That roll continued to extend the lead to 23 in the third. They pushed it to 31 early in the fourth and cruised from there.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Jaylen Brown stays hot: Brown is making an early push for All-NBA consideration and this game will be one of the main selling points. He dropped 35 points in 26 minutes, shooting 13-21 overall, 2-4 from 3, and 7-9 from the line. He also had five rebounds and five assists. He’s the fifth player in NBA history, and first Celtic ever, to put up 35/5/5 in 26 minutes or less. 

- Role players rolling: the Celtics got big contributions from important role players like Josh Minott, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh. Each guy had a big hand in turning around an early stinker. 

- Defense recovers after slow start: If you missed the game, or at least he first quarter, you might be wondering why there were some negative early comments in the live game chat. The Celtics looked awful, giving up 14 second chance points to a team that averages 12. But they settled down, allowed only six the rest of the way, and forcing 19 turnovers for 30 points. 

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics won the second quarter by 21. They started on a 21-4 run that turned the game around and never looked back. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Jaylen Brown: I don't want to know what this game would have looked like if Brown wasn't doing everything in his power to keep the Celtics close in the first quarter. He 16 in the first quarter an assist on a 3-pointer to account for most of the offense. He also has been drawing a lot of fouls on jump shots. It seems like he’s developing the ability to feel the contact on his arms as defenders react to Brown’s shoulder in their chests. He’s rising up and getting hit on the arm, getting himself to the line more often than ever. 

- Josh Minott: A career-high 21 points for him and he was scoring from everywhere. He had three 3-pointers and three dunks. 

“Josh is big-time man,” Neemias Queta said. “He plays with a lot of energy. He's going to rebound for us … His versatility is big time and we've been playing great since he got to the starting lineup and he's been a great addition for our team.”

Minott is making the most out of his opportunity. 

- Neemias Queta: A 15-point, 12-rebound double-double after a tough first quarter. He was struggling against Alex Sarr to start the game, but he recovered to give the Celtics an important boost. He also added five assists, which is more a signal that shooters were finally finishing his kick-outs. Queta is still inconsistent, but when he’s playing well, things go well for Boston. 

- Jordan Walsh: His first few minutes weren’t good, but he was a big part of the turnaround in the second. He was a +17 in second, coming up with three rebounds and a steal as Boston was making its run. 

“I thought he was great tonight,” Joe Mazzulla said. “His presence defensively, his rebounding, his positioning, he has got good defensive instincts … he sparked the change in the game tonight just because of the way he plays. It's a credit to him just staying ready, making sure he's ready at any time.

- Payton Pritchard: A very efficient 18 points and five assists and +36 in the 29-point win. He continues to operate incredibly well in the paint.

“I know getting to the paint can be easier looks and can be like my bread and butter,” Pritchard said. “It's a combination of using my body and also with my handle, being able to control it, bump, change the direction off of it, and then get to a spot.”

- Derrick White: It wasn’t his offensive best night ever, finishing with 12 points, eight assists, and three rebounds, but he actually got a soft, shooter’s bounce to fall, which might actually have been the first one of those for him this season. Also, three steals and two blocks is very typical DWhite, so maybe this is the start of something for him. 

- Joe Mazzulla coaching until the final buzzer: Queta and Minott both made mistakes late in the fourt quarter when the game was out of reach, but that didn’t stop him from lighting them up as they came to the bench. Mazzulla isn’t going to let these guys get into bad habits even if they think that part of the game doesn’t matter. 

“We never let up, bro,” Minott said to me in the locker room. “He was coaching me for the future. He understands that. Maybe the game is necessarily, I would consider it ‘won’ by then, but man, we're working for the future, man. There's never a let-up. Now we're using that time as a lesson for the future. That's what he was expressing to me."

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- The first quarter: I’d really prefer the Celtics not have entire quarter where they suck. I understand there is another NBA team on the floor and they have something to say about it, but the wild swings are too much. I know they recovered and won by 30 so it’s not the biggest deal as far as this game goes, but these full 12-minutes stretches of being terrible has already cost them games this season, and it will cost them more in the future.

- Luka Garza: It’s not easy being a negative in a 30-point win, but Garza was a -3 in this game. I don’t know if he’s going to become a passable defender. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL REGRET LATER

- Brown’s foul-drawing can be a career-extender.

I know it might sound weird talking about a 29-year-old extending his career, but I really think this skill he’s working on could be something he leans on to score whenever his athleticism starts to wane. 

He’s not going to be able to dunk on people forever, and we’ve even seen how his meniscus tear and hamstring strain this season have limited him a bit athletically. His ability to initiate contact, get a player to engage with his arm, and then rise up through that contact to draw the foul is getting him to the line a lot. 

“Last year, they didn’t call that foul a lot,” Brown said. “But this year we sent them some clips before the season to get some clarity on it because I work on that. I should be able to rise up and shoot whenever I feel like it, regardless of how close that defender is.”

He’s getting that call now, which helped him get to the line nine times in this game. If he can keep perfecting that, he’ll be able to supplement his scoring with a hefty serving of free throws. That's a valuable skill because not only does that pump up your own offensive numbers, it benefits the team by getting teams into the bonus. 

Next Up: The Celtics head to Orlando for a two-game weekend series, beginning Friday night.