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By breezing past the Sacramento Kings on March 21, the Boston Celtics have turned the proverbial corner after a rough patch coming out of the All-Star break, according to Jaylen Brown.
“That looked like the team I recognize,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin in an on-court interview after the 132-109 win. “We came out, we played 48 minutes, we didn’t take our foot off the gas. We took care of business. [We] ended the road trip well…We’re going into spring, winter is over, so there’s definitely an energy shift on the way, so we just got to take advantage of our opportunities and do what we do best.”
With the 132-109 blowout victory, the Celtics (50-23) marked their fifth win in seven games, closing out their six-game road trip on a high note and retaining their status as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. As of March 22, they are just two games behind the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
While the first two quarters of action proved to be a rather close affair, as the two parties went into halftime separated by just 6 points, the Celtics took complete control during the third and fourth periods, outscoring Sacramento 72-55 during this stretch. Brown finished the night with a stellar stat-line of 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 62.5% shooting from the floor and 57.1% shooting from distance in 34 minutes played.
Jaylen Brown Opens Up on Robert Williams’ Return to Celtics
After eight straight games of injury-induced inactivity, fifth-year center Robert Williams made his way back to the lineup for the Celtics.
When asked how it felt to finally get their defensive stalwart back in the mix, Jaylen Brown couldn’t help praising the big for his contributions to the club.
“Seeing Rob on the floor for us is huge. Rebounding, he was big down there. He gives us a different level defensively and tonight he made a difference,” Brown said.
Prior to Boston’s latest bout against the Kings, Williams had been sidelined since March 5 due to a strained hamstring. After the game, Jay King of The Athletic reported via Twitter that the big man said he “felt good” and said he doesn’t believe to have suffered any setbacks regarding his ailment.
Williams logged just shy of 21 minutes in his return to action and finished the night with 6 points, 7 rebounds and a block.
Former Celtics Big Being Eyed by Lakers
According to a recent report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, former Boston Celtics big man Tristian Thompson may be making his way back to an NBA roster as soon as this season, as the free agent has been invited to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are working out free agent centers Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley this week, sources tell me and @jovanbuha. Thompson, an 11-year NBA veteran, was a key member of the 2016 championship Cavaliers team alongside LeBron James,” Charania tweeted.
Thompson suited up for 54 regular-season games during his time with the Celtics in 2020-21, finishing his lone season with averages of 7.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 51.8% from the field.
A 12-year NBA veteran, the 32-year-old has a history with Lakers star LeBron James, as the two spent four years together as teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 through 2018.
Together, they saw four straight runs to the NBA Finals, winning the franchise’s lone championship back during the 2015-16 campaign.
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