The Boston Celtics came, saw, and conquered the Dallas Mavericks on their home turf. The Celtics defeated the Mavs 119-110 behind the Jays’ combined 73-point performance, lighting up Dallas. While both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum had excellent games, it was Brown who gave the fans the highlight of the game, dropping the Wonderboy in a crossover. On top of that, JB brutally responded to a revelation regarding his highlight play.
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Luka Doncic may have gotten a taste of his own medicine when Jaylen Brown had him on skates during one play. Defending Brown after a screen switch, Luka Doncic tried his best to stay in front of the Celtics forward.
As Brown drove towards the right from the key, he immediately pulled off a ‘behind the back’ move, leaving Luka’s ankles in absolute shambles as he hit the ground. Brown then went on to sink a mid-range jumper to cap off his highlight.
YOOO JAYLEN BROWN DROPPED LUKA DONCIC (h/t @AhnFireDigital)
— Overtime (@overtime) January 23, 2024
After the game, Jaylen Brown was told that his ankle breaker was highlighted on the jumbo screen in the American Airlines Center in Dallas. After being informed by a reporter about this, Brown said,
“I didn’t notice that. That’s crazy. Somebody needs to get fired if they did that.”
Jaylen Brown on the Mavs showing a jumbotron replay of his behind-the-back move dropping Luka Doncic: “I didn’t notice that. That’s crazy. Somebody needs to get fired if they did that.”
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 23, 2024
Whether someone gets fired or not, someone surely will get an earful nonetheless. Additionally, Jaylen Brown played a total of 37 minutes while dropping 34 points in the process. Brown may have had a slow night from beyond the arc but had a healthy percentage from the field, shooting 59.1% on 13-22 shooting.
He also had 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks to go along with his 34-point performance. Not to forget the icing on the cake of bringing the Dallas Mavericks superstar to his knees and also going home with the win.
Jaylen Brown creating a name for him on defense
When looking at the box score, no one can deny the absolute monster game Luka Doncic had, 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists, racking up an insane triple-double, along with 2 steals. But considering shooting numbers and percentage, Jaylen Brown shines once again.
Defending the Slovenian star throughout the game, Brown held Luka to a 2-8 shooting from the three and 12-30 from the field, constantly putting pressure on the Mavericks guard.
Brown also went on to credit himself for his defensive prowess in the Celtics win over the Mavericks. While talking to a reporter on the floor, Brown said,
“I feel like I’m one of the better defenders in the league, if not the better defender in the league so it’s a challenge I felt like should be bestowed on me.”
“I feel like I’m one of the better defenders in the league, if not the better defender in the league so it’s a challenge I felt like should be bestowed on me”@tvabby caught up with JB about the win & going up against Luka tonight pic.twitter.com/t1zx0fZzpL
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 23, 2024
Jaylen Brown has been the perfect star to accommodate alongside Jayson Tatum. Brown is averaging 23.1-5.2-3.6, this season but his point production may have taken a bit of a hit. Even though JB’s PPG numbers are a little low as compared to the earlier seasons, he has amped up his presence on the defensive end of the floor, slowly becoming one of the best defenders on the Celtics roster, if not the best.
The Boston Celtics are having another outstanding year with a great roster and even greater season standing. So, will this be the year that the Celtics end their short championship drought?
