Jaylen Brown Believes Celtics Clicking At Right Time With 16 Games Remaining

Jaylen Brown is willing to write off the tough start the Celtics had this season, now that Boston is red-hot nearing the playoffs.

Following Boston’s 126-120 edging of the Brooklyn Nets — who had both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the lineup at TD Garden — Brown explained he believes this time on the basketball calendar is the most important.

“This is the time you start to gear up, tighten up the details, start getting those habits getting ready for playoff basketball,” Brown said after the win. “That’s what platform we want to be on. As days go by, more and more focused, more and more intensity is important. Our group, it’s about us trying to get better each and every game and that’s what we’ve been doing along the course of the season.

“I know we didn’t start off that way, it started off looking bad. But it’s a marathon not a sprint. I’m glad our guys have stayed the course because I think we still have yet to reach our peak.”

The Celtics now have won 14 of their last 16 games — good enough to earn head coach Ime Udoka a conference Coach of the Month honor for February — and sit at fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 39-27 and 16 games remaining in the regular season. Next up is a road tilt against the Charlotte Hornets, scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.