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Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 Jaylen Brown left all sorts of hints that he would be ready for his matchup Saturday night against Kawhi Leonard.<\/p>\n On New Year\u2019s Eve,\u00a0Brown tweeted<\/a>\u00a0that he was the best two-way player in the world. Two days later, he\u00a0expressed disappointment<\/a>\u00a0that he did not win the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for December. And in between those calls for more respect, Brown reached out to Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, requesting to defend Leonard. On the team flight from Sacramento to Los Angeles for the game against the LA Clippers, Brown sent Mazzulla a text message saying he wanted the matchup.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d Brown would ask later.<\/p>\n If Brown wanted to prove a point about the award or his overall place in the NBA hierarchy, he did it. In a 146-115 blowout win, he tied his career high with 50 points on 18-for-26 shooting. While stopping the Clippers\u2019 six-game winning streak, Brown also helped hold Leonard, who had been on a tear, to 22 points on 6-for-17 shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cI seek those challenges,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI feel like it brings the most out of me. Obviously, Kawhi is one of the greats, so I wanted to start on him. I just seek those matchups. My mindset, I like when my back is against the wall. When people doubt, it fuels me. So, even though it\u2019d be nice to get some respect, keep it up. I definitely use it as fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Derrick White called Brown\u2019s shot making \u201cunbelievable.\u201d Even while on the court alongside Brown, Jordan Walsh suggested he watched his teammate in awe. Brown\u2019s performance was impressive enough that Mazzulla thanked him afterward, saying it was an honor to watch him play like that.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought that was one of the most complete games that I\u2019ve seen him play,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cI knew he was going to come out with that.\u201d<\/p>\n How did Mazzulla know? The Celtics understood how motivated Brown would be. Believing he played as well as anybody throughout December, he didn\u2019t like seeing Jalen Brunson win the East\u2019s Player of the Month award.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw that Player of the Month, with the stats (Brown posted in December), I knew what was coming,\u201d Luka Garza said. \u201cI\u2019m not like LeBron, I\u2019m not saying I knew he would have 50. I\u2019m just saying I knew he would come out and try to prove a point.\u201d<\/p>\n His perceived snub wasn\u2019t Brown\u2019s only source of motivation. The six straight wins showed the Clippers were playing as well as any team in the NBA entering Saturday. Over those six games, Leonard delivered one of the best regular-season stretches of his career, averaging 39 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists per game. Brown, who believes two-way players don\u2019t receive enough credit for the burden they carry for their teams, has considerable admiration for the way Leonard competes on both ends of the court.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Kawhi is one of the greatest two-way players of all time,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n The Celtics saw how well Leonard and the Clippers were playing. On the final game of a five-game road trip, Brown and the Boston players understood the type of challenge they were running into with the Clippers.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think all those things combined,\u201d Mazzulla said, \u201cjust, a guy like Jaylen, (that) brings out the best in him. And he just wants to compete at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown reached a new level Saturday. After scoring 20 points in the first half, he painted a shot-making portrait throughout the third quarter. His only miss on eight attempts during the quarter came with 31 seconds left, when he pulled up from several feet beyond the 3-point arc in an attempt to earn the Celtics a two-for-one.<\/p>\n Before that, Brown made seven straight shots \u2014 none being layups or dunks. His level of difficulty during the quarter was high enough that a left-handed floater over Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who was second team All-Defense last season, didn\u2019t even qualify as the most challenging make. That came with 2:21 left in the quarter, when Brown dribbled backwards between his legs, stepped back, pump faked, stepped through and drilled a contested 3-pointer while jumping about four feet forward.<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown hits the step-back, lean-forward 3 and Jayson Tatum’s loving it pic.twitter.com\/beZJIIm21s<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Amid all his baskets, Brown\u2019s pass to Garza late in the third quarter easily could have gone unnoticed. It didn\u2019t result in an assist because Garza missed a layup while drawing a foul on the play. It didn\u2019t count in the box score; still, his level of control throughout the third quarter could not be described fully without mentioning that pass.<\/p>\n He had already scored 19 points and was in enough of a rhythm to knock down a leaning 3-pointer moments earlier. And, instead of forcing his own offense, Brown found Garza the moment he opened up in the paint.<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown had everything going Saturday night against the Clippers.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could just tell he was seeing the floor in a lot of different ways,\u201d Garza said. \u201cWhen I was in there, it was just fun to watch, fun to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n Even on the road, Brown\u2019s performance had the crowd buzzing. After he reached 48 points midway through the fourth quarter, the fans stood up every time he touched the ball. When he scored his final basket to give him 50 points on 18-for-26 shooting, the crowd \u2014 filled with plenty of Celtics fans \u2014 roared in delight. He heard some calls of \u201cM-V-P!\u201d as he checked out of the game moments later.<\/p>\n MVP chants breaking out for Jaylen Brown at Intuit Dome as he checks out of the game <\/p>\n 50 points, 6 assists for him <\/p>\n Unreal stuff https:\/\/t.co\/x2vAZ3wdB3<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2QAyJrPMKl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Noa Dalzell \ud83c\udfc0 (@NoaDalzell) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Afterward, Brown brought up another label he would like for himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe I\u2019m the best two-way player in the world,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI just wanted to come out and show it.\u201d<\/p>\n The term \u201ctwo-way player\u201d means a lot to Brown. He believes discussion of the NBA often misses what\u2019s most important.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the narratives are just lazy,\u201d Brown said to reporters. \u201cY\u2019all focus on the wrong stuff in the media. Y\u2019all focus on offense and tough shot making. I just think that\u2019s not basketball. I think basketball is rebounding. Basketball is defense, defensive versatility, making plays. I know it\u2019s entertainment and that\u2019s what we want to push, but if it comes down to this basketball s\u2014, I just feel like I\u2019m one of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Averaging 30.1 points per game, Brown is on pace to join Jayson Tatum as the only players in Celtics franchise history to average at least 30 in a single season. Though Tatum has been sidelined all season by a torn Achilles, Brown\u2019s production has led to team success. With the win Saturday, Boston finished its road trip at 4-1 and pulled within a half- game of the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n Not many expected the Celtics to be near the top of the standings after they lost about half their rotation, including Tatum, before the start of the season. Brown emphasized how unusual it is for a team to click so quickly after replacing so much talent.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a completely different group,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI want to speak (on) how rare it is to have five, six new players come in and add to winning right away. It says a lot about our leadership. It says a lot about our coaching staff because that does not happen in the NBA. I think that should get talked about more.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown wants more recognition for his team and for himself. If he keeps playing like this, he should eventually receive it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019ve always had a great mentality and approach to the game,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI\u2019ve always put the team first. Whatever the coaching staff has asked me to do, I\u2019ve done. Now I\u2019ve been asked to do more because a lot of guys were traded. We\u2019ve been forced to be put in this position, and I\u2019m grateful because I\u2019ve been able to show the world who I am and who I\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to keep it up, stay healthy, keep playing team basketball. I\u2019m excited. We play every other night for the rest of this month. I want to just help lead my team to more wins.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Jay King<\/a>\u00a0is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Celtics. He previously covered the team for MassLive for five years. He also co-hosts the \u201cAnything Is Poddable\u201d podcast.\u00a0Follow Jay on Twitter\u00a0@byjayking<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-225454342211-784x441.jpg\")
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