Jaylen Brown had much to celebrate Wednesday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena.
Brown became the youngest player in Celtics history to record 30-plus points on Christmas Day as his 30 guided Boston to a 118-102 win over the Raptors. The 23-year-old’s big day also helped the green snap a skid, as the team previously hadn’t won in Toronto since April 2015.
While Brown surely must be pleased with his personal performance, it was the importance of the Celtics’ road win over their division rival that was on the fourth-year guard’s mind after the game.
“I think the win here in Toronto means the most, for sure,” Brown told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “Been in the league for four years, I’ve never won in this building. To get a win here on Christmas is like, the perfect present. So I’m happy we got the win.”
Brown also made history alongside Kemba Walker, as the duo became the first teammates to each knock down five 3-pointers on Christmas, per SportsCenter. It was the first time in Walker’s nine-year career he received an opportunity to play on one of the more special days in the NBA season, and the star point guard helped put things into perspective for Brown.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Brown said. “You know, Kemba’s been in the league a long time. I don’t think he’s ever got to play (on Christmas). I’ve been playing on Christmas since I was a rookie, so I definitely don’t want to take it for granted. I wanted to come out and get a win.”
Here are some other notes from Celtics-Raptors:
— This marked Walker’s 12th game of the season with five-plus 3-pointers. He’s now only four such performances shy of surpassing Isaiah Thomas for the franchise record, for ESPN Stats & Info.
— It was a special day for Enes Kanter, who played his first game outside of the United States as a member of the Celtics. Kanter, while with the Portland Trail Blazers, did not travel to Toronto last season out of fear of potential retaliation from the Turkish government.
While simply taking the floor was an accomplishment in itself for Kanter, he made the day even more momentous by recording his second double-double of the season (12 points, 11 rebounds).
— The Celtics, who are dealing with lingering ailments among a handful of players, received a minor injury scare early in the second quarter when Grant Williams dislocated his finger. Fortunately, he was able to return and finished with four points and two rebounds over 12 minutes.
— Speaking of injuries, Marcus Smart appears to be trending in the right direction. The veteran guard met with reporters prior to tip-off and described just how gruesome his eye infection is. That said, Smart claims he’s 80 percent back to playing, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
— Boston’s win streak now sits at four. The team also improved its Christmas Day record to 4-1 over its last five games, per Celtics Stats.
