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Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts to a foul called against him during the second half of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts.
In a possible preview of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-109, on Wednesday. The game also featured a showdown between MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown, with the latter outplaying the reigning MVP with 31 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds.
After the Celtics’ victory, Jayson Tatum had a lot of praise for his longtime teammate Brown, especially for how he has improved his offensive arsenal this year.
“This season, he’s been able to be in positions and moments of really just taking control — and moments throughout the course of the game, late game, he’s just been able to really have those reps,” Tatum said of Brown, via CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell.
“Not that he didn’t have them over the years that we played together, right? We won a championship, and he made big plays in every game that we’ve been in.”
Jayson Tatum on how Jaylen Brown is different now:
“This season, he’s been able to be in positions and moments of really just taking control — and moments throughout the course of the game, late game, he’s just been able to really have those reps. Not that he didn’t have them
Jaylen Brown Taking ‘Ownership’
Building on Tatum’s point, Brown has assumed the role of Boston’s primary scoring option and closer for the first time in his 10-year career, largely because Tatum missed a significant part of the season rehabbing from an Achilles injury. Brown seized the opportunity, catapulting himself to the MVP conversation with career-high numbers of 28.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 48% from the field.
Tatum believes that the Celtics stand to benefit from Brown’s growth as a scorer.
“But I think now, this season, he’s just been able to take more ownership,” Tatum said of Brown being more assertive in fourth quarters and late-game situations.
“We all knew he could do it. It’s just when guys get more of an opportunity, they get to show it.”
Celtics Cling to Second Seed
With the win on Wednesday, the Celtics (48-24) consolidated the second seed but remain just half a game ahead of the third-seeded New York Knicks (48-25), who have won seven in a row and have been one of the hottest teams since the All-Star break.
The Atlantic Division rivals will face off in an important game on April 9 that could determine the final seedings and which team will have home-court advantage in a potential rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. In the meantime, the Celtics are just focused on ending the season on a strong note.
After Wednesday’s win, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said he was very impressed with his team’s physicality against the Thunder, the reigning NBA champions.
“I like the fact that we brought the physicality,” he said, via ESPN.
“I like the fact that we brought our offensive organization. I like the fact that we executed. I like the fact that we took it to a different level defensively. And so now it’s OK, where can we get better?
“How do we apply it to Friday’s game (against the Hawks)? They’re playing really well, they’re going to challenge us in different ways, and how do we get better?”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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