The Celtics’ roster now features two of the franchise’s top 10 all-time scorers.
Jaylen Brown joined that list of legends during Wednesday’s 120-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden, scoring 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting to reach 13,202 for his career. He moved past Jo Jo White (13,188) and Dave Cowens (13,192) to take over 10th place.
“I’m very grateful,” Brown said. “A lot of legends on that list who made big contributions to the Celtics, but also to the game of basketball. So I’m very humbled and very grateful to be in the position I’m in.”
Teammate Jayson Tatum, who turned in a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win, ranks ninth in Celtics history with 13,908 points. The eight players ahead of them all are Basketball Hall of Famers who have had their numbers retired: John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones and Bill Russell.
Tatum and Brown would rank 1-2 on the all-time scoring lists of six NBA franchises (Nets, Pelicans, Magic, Grizzlies, Hornets and Clippers).
“You don’t take for granted being able to coach some of the best players in the game today, but some of the best players of all time,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So gratitude on my part, just being able to watch that.”
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is tied up by Golden State Warriors guard De’anthony Melton, left, and center Quinten Post on Wednesday night. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)
Former Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis had 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting and five rebounds in his first game back on Causeway Street since his offseason trade. Despite his modest stat line, Porzingis was one of the more effective players for the injury-ravaged Warriors, finishing as a plus-3 over 22 minutes in a game his team lost by 21.
The long list of Warriors players who did not suit up included superstar guard Stephen Curry and ex-C’s big man Al Horford, who did not join Golden State for its lone trip to Boston this season.
The Celtics, who have won three straight after dropping consecutive games in San Antonio and Oklahoma City, will play in Memphis on Friday (8 p.m.).
Tatum has started slowly as a scorer in most of the games since his return. That was not the case on Wednesday. He hit three 3-pointers in the opening five minutes, nearly matching his single-game season high of four. Tatum also assisted on a pair of threes — one by Sam Hauser and one by Brown, the second of which he set up by stepping back to evade Porzingis and whipping a pass out to the top of the key.
Brown received his co-star’s pass and drained it, as he did with eight of the nine field goals he attempted during a dominant, 19-point first quarter. Brown cut past Porzingis for a baseline dunk, bullied through backup big man Quinten Post for a layup and victimized Brandin Podziemski on multiple possessions. He scored at all levels: three makes at the rim, two more in the paint, two from the midrange and the aforementioned straightaway three.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, left, drives into Golden State Warriors forward Malevy Leons as the Celtics take on the Warriors at the TD Garden. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)
It was the best the Celtics’ superstar duo has looked to open a game since Tatum’s return from Achilles surgery on March 6. Boston led 36-23 after one quarter, and Brown and Tatum combined to score 28 of those points.
The Celtics did not have a single first-quarter basket that was not scored or assisted by one of the two. In one sequence, Tatum fired a quick-trigger pass to Baylor Scheierman in the corner, and when Scheierman misfired, Brown grabbed the rebound and fed Payton Pritchard (19 points, seven assists) for an open three.
Brown passed White late in the first quarter and Cowens early in the second.
“Obviously, congrats to him,” Tatum said. “It just goes to show the dedication, the commitment that he’s made to his craft and getting better every single year. This is Year 10 for him, nine for me, so it’s just been cool to see. I’ve seen him the last nine years develop and just get better each and every year and turn into the player he is now, and it’s just cool when you get rewarded for the work that you put in.”
Tatum scored the final seven Celtics points of an evenly matched second quarter to send Boston into halftime up 63-50.
Porzingis, who received a tribute video and a standing ovation between quarters, was the only Warriors starter to post a positive plus/minus in the first half (plus-1). He made an impact with his defensive playmaking (two steals and two blocks), even as the Celtics targeted him at times.
Before the game, Porzingis said he’s finally feeling healthy and happy as he nears the end of what he called a “pretty (expletive)” season. He’s missed 48 games due to illness or injury and changed teams twice, but has now played in five of the Warriors’ last seven contests.
“I miss the big fella,” Tatum said. “Happy to see him healthy, happy to see him out there playing. It was cool to see the reception that he got tonight and his tribute video. It wasn’t that long ago, but those were some good times, and we had some good moments. He’ll forever be a Celtic and be remembered for those two years, and obviously being a big piece of why we won a championship. So it was cool. Every guy that was on that (2024) championship team, we’re bonded for life, so it’s always good to see KP.”
Golden State trimmed the deficit to single digits early in the second half but quickly entered foul trouble, with Boston drawing five whistles in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Brown drew one on a fadeaway jumper over De’Anthony Melton, and Tatum drew another while driving on Draymond Green. Tatum drove past Porzingis on the next possession for a layup that made it 69-56.
The Celtics’ lead reached 21 points later in the third, thanks in part to another solid shift from second-string center Luka Garza, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Boston’s trade-deadline move for Nikola Vucevic dropped Garza to third on the depth chart, but he’s held up well as the No. 2 while Vucevic recovers from finger surgery. Garza entered Wednesday with the second-best net rating of all Celtics rotation players since Vucevic’s injury, trailing only Tatum.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla yells at his team during Wednesday’s win over the Warriors. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)
A Pritchard 3-pointer stretched Boston’s lead to 87-66 late in the third quarter, and additional threes by Derrick White and Scheierman early in the fourth helped put the game out of reach.
Tatum added his fifth trey of the game before checking out with 5:22 remaining, closing out his most efficient outing of the season after 31 minutes. Though he struggled with ball security at points (four turnovers), his 46.7% field-goal percentage and 45.5% success rate from deep were season highs, and he went 5-for-6 from the foul line. Tatum has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games and posted double-digit rebounds in three of the six outings since his comeback.
“He’s giving us exactly what we’re asking for and more,” Mazzulla said.
Rookie guard Max Shulga and veteran big man Charles Bassey played the final two minutes, with Bassey — who signed a 10-day contract on Sunday to fill a vacant roster spot — scoring his first two points in a Celtics uniform.