Jaylen Brown Embracing ‘Game Of Chess’ Defensive Assignments

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown takes pride in being effective on both ends of the floor for the Celtics and did just that when the No. 2 seeded Milwaukee Bucks rolled into town on Wednesday night for a marquee matchup at TD Garden.

With Jrue Holiday ruled out before tip-off, Brown assumed the responsibility of guarding Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard, who’s averaging 24.4 points this season on 42.5% shooting. That’s no easy task, especially considering Lillard’s ability to routinely hit shots far beyond the perimeter, but that didn’t stop Brown from finding a way to create chaos for the Bucks.

“It’s fun. It’s like a game of chess,” Brown said after Boston’s 122-119 win over Milwaukee. “A guy has it going, knowing they wanna be aggressive, they going to him every possession. Pick him up, be aggressive, sometimes you gotta be back. It’s good, it always gives you good information.”

Brown added: “I’ve been doing it all year. Just taking whoever the best guy is on whatever team. That matchup is mine. I wanna be able to, not just take on those matchups, but take them on with a strategy, with intelligence that’s going to help our team win. Not just to be like it’s all about me.”

From the opening tip, Brown made it his mission to torture Lillard by pressing him at full court and helping hold the eight-time All-Star to just 13 points by halftime. Lillard was visibly affected by Brown’s aggression, which added a significant challenging element to Milwaukee’s bid to find its way around the NBA-best Celtics without franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

That nightmare followed Lillard throughout regulation, and it paid dividends for the Celtics when the Bucks turned an 8-0 run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter into a nail-biting finish.

Lillard scored 11 points in that frame to keep Milwaukee’s chances alive and spoil Boston’s chances of another “Gino Time” celebration. Yet, courtesy of Brown getting ahead in reducing the threat that is Lillard, the Celtics were able to extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games.

“It’s like powerful. What that does for our team, how much better it makes us,” teammate Jayson Tatum explained. “Seeing him take the challenge of guarding the best guard on the other team, picking him up full court, chasing him around all night, it has an impact on the rest of the team. It really gives everybody else no excuses, right? If he can do that all night while still trying to be effective on the offensive end, it’s nothing short of special.”

Brown logged a solid night offensively as well, scoring 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting with eight rebounds and two assists. In the fourth quarter, Brown also pitched in with two crucial free-throws to extend Boston’s lead from two to four points with 20.1 seconds left.

Taking on that initiative, especially with Holiday sidelined against a possible playoff rival, speaks volumes of Brown’s growth which in some way, shape or form, has made itself apparent consistently all season.