Jaylen Brown Bounces Back Big, Leads Charge For Celtics In Blowout Win Over Raptors
BOSTON (CBS) -- If anyone on the Celtics needed a good game in Monday night's Game 5 against the Raptors, it was Jaylen Brown. And boy did he have a big game.
The C's forward silenced his doubters and led the charge for Boston with 27 points in the team's 111-89 blowout win. Brown got off to a great start and put an early exclamation point on the game, throwing down a thunderous dunk in the first quarter.
The jam is a contender for Dunk of the Year:
The dunk came with the Celtics in transition following a Daniel Theis block on Norman Powell on the defensive end. Brown brought the ball down the floor before making a quick pass to Marcus Smart on the wing. Smart fed it back to Brown, who took care of the rest -- with authority.
There was a little element of revenge on the jam too, as Brown posterized OG Anunoby, who hit the game-winning shot for Toronto over Brown in Game 3. The dunk was no game-winner, but boy was it pretty.
Brown, however, didn't think it was anything too special.
"Just being aggressive. That's it," he said. "Not a play that I haven't made before. Just being aggressive. I guess you could say that's what I do."
Brown led all Boston scorers with seven points in the first quarter, as the Celtics outscored the Raptors 25-11 in the frame. Brown also hit his first shot from the floor -- a much-needed three-pointer after he went 2-for-11 from behind the arc in Game 4.
Brown finished the game with a team-high 27 points off 10-for-18 shooting. He said that he didn't change anything from his approach in Game 4.
"Good games, bad games, up and downs – that's life. Last game, I felt like I got some good looks and they didn't go down. This game I got good looks and they went down," he said. "We just have to keep going. The emphasis, I would say, was less is more. Make the simple plays and that paid off, but the mindset was the same."
Now the focus shifts to Wednesday night, when the Celtics will look to eliminate the Raptors and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
"We have to get ready to play Wednesday. The job isn't finished yet. We still have a lot of work that needs to be done," said Brown. "Stay focused. Stay locked in and execute the game plan. Play hard, play tough and hold each other accountable. That's all that matters."
