Celtics Notes: Jaylen Brown's Continued Development Paying Dividends In Boston

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics took down the Miami Heat 112-93 on Wednesday night at TD Garden behind another stellar showing from Jaylen Brown.

The 23-year-old followed up Sunday’s 28-point performance against the New York Knicks with 31 on 10-of-20 shooting, including a 5-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. He’s now scored 22 points or more in five of his last six games and quickly has become an “X-factor” for Boston.

“When Jaylen gets going I think he’s the X-factor for us,” Kemba Walker said. “When he has it going he definitely gives us a lot more options — and he’s been playing well all year.”

Brown himself seems extremely confident out on the floor, something he credits to being more comfortable dealing with opponents blitzing on the perimeter.

“Just being more comfortable with the blitz,” Brown said. ” The blitz to Kemba and blitzing (Jayson Tatum), just being aggressive out of that, because they have to form three on the backside and I’m just trying to be aggressive.”

But more than that, Brown’s 3-point shooting has been significantly better this season than his three years prior. He’s now up to 38.2 percent from deep, up from last year’s 34.4 percent clip. It’s an improvement that lifts Boston’s ceiling to a level many didn’t think it would come close to, especially this early in the campaign.

One way or another, Brown’s fourth season in Boston is off to a solid start, proving those who doubted his contract wrong in a rather swift manner.

Here are some other notes from Wednesday’s Celtics-Heat game:

— Walker came off his 16-point effort from Sunday with an impressive 28 points, seven-assist performance Wednesday against Miami. His night likely will be overshadowed by Brown’s 31 points, but Walker has become the master of quiet scoring bursts.

The point guard was 9-of-17 from the floor in 31 minutes, consistently pacing the Celtics offense from start to finish. He’s atop the three-headed monster with Brown and Tatum, but it’s clear the trio has found a very nice balance during the absence of Gordon Hayward.

— Semi Ojeleye was tremendous in the win, playing 24 minutes as Boston’s most consistent defender. He finished with five points and seven rebounds and a plus-minus of 21. Brad Stevens praised his efforts after the win.

“I think he’s really improved,” Stevens said. “I feel really good when he shoots the ball; he’s worked really hard on his shot. Nobody spends more time, we’ve talked about that. … I agree with you, he was really good. I don’t think it was a coincidence that those 24 minutes were our best 24 minutes tonight.”

— Jayson Tatum posted 19 points in the win, but his postgame tweet likely will be cemented in Weird Celtics Twitter history. It appears Tatum likes his facial hair.