Jaylen Brown’s 50 Points Propel Celtics Past Clippers in 146-115 Rout
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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jaylen Brown matched his career high with 50 points on 18-for-26 shooting Saturday night, leading the Boston Celtics to a 146-115 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and snapping L.A.’s six-game winning streak.
The fifth game of Boston’s West Coast trip drew a sizable contingent of Celtics supporters to the rainy Kia Forum. They rose for a standing ovation as Brown checked out late in the fourth quarter with Boston up comfortably.
The Celtics (22-12) remain a half-game behind the New York Knicks (23-12) for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Brown sensed a big night was coming during pregame drills. “In warmups, every shot felt clean coming off my hand. My footwork felt great,” he said, adding that a salsa class the previous evening had loosened him up.
Boston’s All-Star also took the primary defensive assignment on Kawhi Leonard, who had averaged 39 points on nearly 70 percent shooting during the Clippers’ winning streak. Brown and the Celtics limited Leonard to 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
“I seek those challenges,” Brown said. “Kawhi is one of the greats, so I wanted to start on him. When people doubt me, it fuels me.”
Brown acknowledged using recent snubs as motivation, including losing December’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month award to New York’s Jalen Brunson despite leading in most statistical categories except assists. “I believe I’m the best two-way player in the world,” he said.
Boston never trailed, pouring in 40 points in the first quarter and 77 by halftime. The Celtics shot 59.8 percent overall and held the Clippers to 45.1 percent.
Brown’s 50 marked his second career game at that plateau, matching the total he posted against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 2, 2022.
Source: ESPN.com
