Jaylen Brown missed out on the Player of the Month award for December, despite having a nine-game stretch where he scored 30 or more points. On Saturday, Jan. 3, he made that snub look foolish as he dropped 50 points on the Los Angeles Clippers in 35 minutes.
Not only did Brown dominate as a scorer, but he also took the challenge of slowing down Kawhi Leonard, who was averaging 40.4 points over his previous five games. Brown helped hold the superstar forward to 35.3% shooting on the night.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed that Brown had asked to guard Leonard.
“Since I’ve been here, I get to coach guys that care about winning, care about defense, and care about the team. And so he texted it to me on the plane from Sacramento to here. He texted me on the plane in Sacramento (and asked to guard Kawhi). And I thought that was great. I just think that’s a representation of the organization but also the leadership and what he does.”
Brown came into the game against the Clippers with a point to prove. He left the contest having joined Jayson Tatum and Larry Bird as the only three players in franchise history with multiple 50-point games.
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The 146-115 win over the Clippers wrapped up the Boston Celtics four-game West Coast road trip. The team will head back home having won three of those four games, with the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers the only blip. Brown has been vital in each of those wins, as he continues to enjoy a breakout scoring season.
The Celtics will be back in action on its home floor when the team faces the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Jan. 5.
Featured image via Boston Celtics All-Star, Jaylen Brown
