Jaylen Brown Makes NBA History In Celtics' Blowout Win Over Cavaliers
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jaylen Brown continues to put up some eye-popping numbers for the Boston Celtics this season. Sunday night's performance against the Cavaliers is perhaps his most absurd.
Brown put in 33 points in Boston's 141-103 blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a solid follow-up after he set a new career-high with 43 points against the 76ers on Friday. But on Sunday, it wasn't how many points that Brown scored, but how quickly he did so.
Brown put in his 33 points in only 19 minutes and 14 seconds of playing time, the most an NBA player has ever scored in under 20 minuets of action. Brown's performance surpassed Kevin Durant previous record of 30 points in 19 minutes, which Durant set back in 2014.
Sunday's game was Brown's seventh straight 20-point performance, and he's now up to 13 games with 20 or more points for the season. Not bad considering the Celtics have only played 15 games.
Brown was super efficient on Sunday as well, hitting 13-of-20 from the floor and 3-of-4 from downtown. He scored 20 of his 33 points in the third quarter.
He said after the game that he can't remember ever going on a scoring streak like this before, but he won't be sitting back an reflecting on it too much. His focus Sunday was not on his own performance, but on the team snapping a three-game losing streak.
"We needed a win. We lost three in a row, all good games that I thought we could have won. Being back on our home floor, we wanted to make sure we brought the energy and we did," he said.
"He's in a great rhythm scoring," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said after Sunday's win. "He's making great physical drives, he's making open catch-and-shoot shots also with really tough shots sprinkled in. He's constantly working to improve. He doesn't play passive and his skill, his aggressiveness, and his improvement are a great combination."
Add all of that up and Brown has turned himself into a scoring machine. He's no longer a star-in-the-making, but an outright star in the NBA.
Brown has handed extra responsibility heading into the season, taking over over as Boston's No. 2 option to Tatum with Kemba Walker sidelined for the first month. Recently, he's been Boston's No. 1 option during Tatum's absence due to health and safety protocols. With Brown taking his offensive game to a new level, he's more of a 1A to Tatum than a No. 2.
"I'm grateful to be put in positions to have responsibilities. I look forward to the challenge and grateful that it's finally gotten here," he said. "Trying to do my best with what I've got."
Now, we wait and see what Brown has for a follow-up Monday night against the Bulls.
