Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Overpowers Suns In All-Around Effort

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown has been red-hot since the All-Star break and paced the scoring for the Celtics in a 127-112 win over the Phoenix Suns in a quick stop at TD Garden on Thursday night.

From draining three-pointers to throwing down a thunderous dunk over Grayson Allen, Brown tallied 37 points and elevated Boston’s defensive efforts against a capable scoring group that featured Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.

“I think it’s been all season,” Brown told reporters after the win. “I just feel like I improved a lot of the stuff I’ve needed to work on. Overall, (it’s) just improving my mentality and attacking my weaknesses. I feel like a lot of the stuff you can say about me last year, you can’t say about me this year. I’m looking forward to the playoffs to keep it going.”

In his last five games, Brown has been on a tear, averaging 30.6 points with 6.2 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field and 36.% from three.

“He’s been playing so well at both ends of the floor,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters when asked about Brown’s night. “He’s just really processing the game. He’s really taken an emphasis to being a well-rounded player. Everything with him starts with his defensive intensity.”

Mazzulla credited Brown’s ability to make better reads against opponents offensively in his recent hot stretch. Additionally, Mazzulla believes that Brown’s defensive tenacity has set up extra energy for his scoring abilities.

“I’ve been doing it all year and I’m going to keep doing it,” Brown added. “Before the season, I made a commitment that I wanted to be First-Team All-Defense. I feel like I’ve been a playmaker.”

Brown has scored 30+ points in five different games since the All-Star break. The Boston star made a personal mission to self-improvement after the Celtics came up short in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Brown has answered the call to push the Celtics to the league’s first playoff berth.

“People can go one of two ways,” Brown said. “… Nothing in this world is going to break my spirit. For me, there was only one way I could go.”

The Celtics now prepare for a back-to-back starting on Sunday against the Washington Wizards.