Joe Mazzulla praises Brown’s 50-point performance in Celtics’ loss to Clippers – TalkBasket.net

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Jaylen Brown after Saturday’s 146-115 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. “It was an honor for me as a coach to watch such a performance. He brought it to the offense, and that obviously shows in his shot making, but I thought his defense was great from start to finish,” Mazzulla said.

Mazzulla noted Brown’s mentality and motivation against a team on a six-game winning streak. “You’re playing against two of the great players that Jaylen has been playing against for a while. It’s a huge mentality win… a guy like Jaylen brings out the best in him, and he just wants to compete at the highest level,” he explained.

Brown, who scored 50 points on 18-of-26 shooting, including six 3-pointers, also requested to guard Kawhi Leonard. “Yes, he did. Absolutely,” said Mazzulla. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to coach guys who care about winning, about defense and about the team. That’s a representation of the organization and the leadership he shows.”

The Celtics’ performance in the third quarter sealed the game, with Brown repeatedly responding to Clippers runs. “Defensively as a team we were a little bit better there… we controlled the game from a no live turnover standpoint. Jaylen did a great job putting us in position to be successful on offense. He made the right plays on four or five possessions instead of taking shots,” Mazzulla added.

Mazzulla also highlighted Jordan Walsh’s transition to the bench and Sam Hauser’s role in Boston’s lineup. “We went with Sam because we knew what their lineups would be…Jordan gave us the production he did, which shows the mentality of the team,” he said.

In terms of the team’s overall performance, Mazzulla emphasized process and execution. “We’ve shown flashes of an identity … very few live-ball turnovers, no fouls on shots. All those little things add up, and you just have to be able to do that over and over again,” he said.

The Celtics’ offense was led by Brown’s career-high 50 points and Derrick White’s 29 points, with the team shooting 55.2 percent overall and 47.1 percent from three. Boston’s 24 made 3-pointers overwhelmed the Clippers, who managed just 15 from deep.

The win improved Boston to 22-12 and capped a 4-1 West Coast trip, while the Clippers fell to 12-22, ending their best six-game winning streak of the season. Boston returns home Monday to take on Chicago, building on one of the most decisive wins of the season.