The Boston Celtics bounced back into the win column at the first time of asking, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 112-125 on November 23, with Jaylen Brown impressing throughout the contest.
Speaking to the media following the game, Marcus Smart boldly claimed that when Brown is playing at his best, he’s an MVP candidate in his own right.
“When JB is playing at his highest (level) he’s an MVP candidate as well”
Marcus Smart on Jaylen Brown potentially being in MVP race
“The things that he’s doing when he’s at his best, is the same thing JT’s doing at his. You know, JT has been in the talks for the MVP race, and when JB is playing the way he’s playing at his highest peak, he’s in that race too…We got two sharpshooters that can do some damage. So, I’m saying, when JB is playing at his highest, he’s an MVP candidate as well,” Smart said.
Brown finished the contest against Dallas with 31 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 72.2% from the field on 13-of-18 shooting and 66.7% from deep on two-of-three shooting. When Brown doesn’t have the expectations of operating as a ball-handling playmaker and is allowed to work off the ball, attack with straight-line drives, and pull-up from the mid-range, he’s an unstoppable force in the half-court.
Brown Reveals Tatum ‘Was Always Playing’
Leading up to the Celtics’ game against Dallas, Tatum was listed as questionable on Boston’s injury report and wasn’t announced as a participant in the game until late in the day.
When speaking to the media in his post-game press conference, Brown joked that Tatum was always set to take part in the Celtics game, as he wanted to match up with Luka Doncic, who is also among the current MVP candidates.
“He was gonna play. He was playing, he knew who he was matched up with. He had that game circled. Don’t let him fool y’all. He was playing the whole time,” Brown said.
Tatum ended up seeing 36 minutes of playing time and once again provided the Celtics with a superstar-level performance, dropping 37 points, pulling down 13 rebounds, dishing out five assists, and blocking two shots while shooting 11-of-24 from the field on 45.8% shooting.
It remains to be seen if Tatum is going to be rested in the coming weeks, as he seems to be nursing a slight wrist issue and was seen limping at different points of Boston’s game against the Mavericks.
Al Horford Credits Celtics Crowd in Victory
The TD Garden is known for how noisy and intense the crowd can get, with the fanbase often being referred to as the Celtics’ sixth man on the floor. Following Boston’s win, Al Horford credited the fanbase during his post-game media session.
“The energy was amazing tonight… that really got us going”
Al Horford on the crowd at TD Garden ☘️
“Well first, our crowd was, the energy was amazing tonight. Before the game started, I kinda looked around and was like ‘Oo it’s one of those,’ like you just felt it, everybody was here, ready to go before (tip-off). And that just really got us going…That helps tremendously,” Horford said.
After suffering a disheartening defeat against the Chicago Bulls on November 21, the Celtics returned back to the win column with their latest victory and will be looking to build upon their performance when they face off against the Sacramento Kings on November 25.
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Marcus Smart Makes Bold Claim Regarding Jaylen Brown Following Celtics Win