The Celtics secured their first signature win of the 2025–26 season on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While there’s plenty of credit to go around, the victory was driven by the Celtics’
leader, Jaylen Brown. Brown delivered another superstar performance, adding to what has already been a strong start to his 2025–26 campaign.
Wins haven’t come easily, but Brown has performed at an elite level in all but one game. His outing against the Cavaliers was close to flawless: 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, with just two turnovers on 71.8% true shooting. Outside of a pair of careless turnovers in the first quarter, it was a near-perfect game for JB. A barrage of second-quarter threes from Brown helped the Celtics race out to a 15-point halftime lead. While he cooled off in the second half, Brown didn’t force the issue — he moved the ball, got teammates involved, and helped Boston control the glass. That’s been a challenge for this Celtics team, which entered the night ranked 29th in defensive rebounding percentage.
Still, Brown wasn’t ready to take any victory laps after a nationally televised win against the Cavaliers, who are coming off a 64-win season and are among the favorites to reach the NBA Finals.
“It’s just one game. We got a lot of basketball in front of us. We’re still learning, still figuring some stuff out, but moving in the right direction. I got full confidence in my teammates and our coaching staff.”
Jaylen’s right. This is a feel-good win, but the NBA schedule doesn’t leave much time to celebrate. The Celtics now face a back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets — two teams capable of exposing any lapse in focus. The 76ers, as Boston knows all too well, are scorching hot to start the year, boasting the league’s second-ranked offense. The next night, the Celtics will see the Rockets, who currently feature the NBA’s top-ranked offense and second-ranked offensive rebounding unit. That’s a tall task for a team still discovering its identity.
“We’re super early in that stage. Great win tonight, but this is not our peak. We’ve got a long way to go — I’m looking forward to getting there.”
The upcoming stretch will test them, but for now, Jaylen and the Celtics can take the night to feel good about pulling off an upset over one of the league’s best teams — and doing it in front of their home fans.
