BOSTON — Jaylen Brown knew an opportunity to step up in a big moment would come again, but the Celtics star didn’t believe it would come so soon.
Boston fell to the New York Knicks on Thursday night after Brown missed two critical free throws that could have lifted the Celtics to a win, but instead, sent them on their way to a third straight loss.
The Celtics got just the win they were looking for with an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Brown and Malcolm Brogdon stepped up for the team, and the former was in a big-time spot with 33 seconds to go.
Boston was up 119-116, and Brown was at the line. LeBron James was determined after a blown no-call forced the extra period, so if the All-Star were to miss from the charity stripe again, it would have given the Lakers a chance to tie it up, again.
But Brown smoothly knocked down both of his free throws, which should be a weight off his shoulders.
“Just his resiliency to not allow the circumstances to affect his mindset,” Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “His execution was tremendous. … I’m just happy for him. The league gives you opportunities to bounce back. He’s really got a great mindset, and we’re happy for him.”
Brown was Boston’s leading scorer with 37 points on 13-for-23 shooting. He added in nine rebounds in his 39-minute effort.
“Resiliency is the key to trying to build a great team,” Brown said. “Life is about how you respond. Basketball is by response. And after losing three tough games, especially how we lost the last one, there was a great opportunity tonight to respond. And through the ups and downs of the game, it wasn’t perfect, but we responded and found a way to win.
Brown added: “… It’s funny how life works, just one game later. I knew I would get that opportunity again, but I didn’t know it was going to be the very next game. And you step up to the line, and you trust yourself. You do what you got to do. You don’t let one game define you. You don’t let one moment define you. Life is about how you respond.”
The Celtics will get another tough matchup in their next game when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at TD Garden.
