Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Celtics rally from a 20-point deficit to run away with a 103-95 win over the Pacers on Monday night.
Brown scored nearly half of Boston’s 29 points in the fourth quarter comeback, making him Monday’s “Name to Know” Player of the Game. The Name to Know Player of the Game is sponsored by John’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the Name to Know when your drains don’t flow.
The All-Star also added nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in Boston’s third straight win, improving the Celtics to 18-11 on the season.
Brown and the starters were benched early in the third quarter for a prolonged stretch after falling behind by 20 points to a undermanned Pacers team. However, Brown responded when he returned to the game in the third quarter and maintained the momentum built by Boston’s second unit to chip away at the Pacers lead.
“He knew we weren’t playing at our best, I thought he responded great, and I thought when it was his time, and that’s what I told him,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I said, ‘This is what you’re supposed to do.’ I mean, it’s an 8- to 12-point game, like we have to earn these wins. We have to earn this opportunity to develop the mental toughness that it takes to try to compete at a high level, and he’s been doing that for us the entire season, and the efficiency in the offense is one thing, but he does it defensively for us as well, and I think he’s just playing great basketball for us.”
Brown has now scored 30 or more points in seven straight games and is averaging a career-high 29.3 points per game. He will try to maintain that momentum on Friday night when the Celtics face off with the Pacers in Indiana.