BOSTON — Jaylen Brown knew a tweak was needed on Friday night.
Two nights earlier, Brown claimed the Denver Nuggets “got away with a lot,” limiting his opportunities to get to the free-throw line. He attempted only three foul shots that night, coming 48 hours after he had only drawn two against the Chicago Bulls. But as the Boston Celtics continued their homestand, Brown was intentional about stopping the brewing trend — and he used an undermanned Toronto Raptors team as his avenue.
“I think it comes
down to he puts a ton of pressure on the defense and the officials, and because of his ability to drive the ball,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said before tipoff. “So there’s obviously a huge goal and a huge thing to where he has to be able to get to the free-throw line for us, and just continue to make the reads that he’s making versus different coverages.”
Brown led a calibrated Boston offense that emphasized rim pressure over perimeter volume — a subtle deviation from the typical Mazzulla-ball philosophy. The Celtics attempted only 28 threes — their fewest this season and the second-fewest shot under Mazzulla — while also shooting 33-of-59 (55.9%) on two-point attempts, including 20-of-27 (74.1%) in the restricted area.
The shift paid immediate dividends for Boston, coming off its Wednesday night loss, as the team put 37 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter and controlled the tempo in ways the Celtics struggled to against the Nuggets and Bulls earlier this week, rolling to a 125-117 win over Toronto.
Sam Hauser held down the fort from beyond the arc, knocking down four 3-pointers in the first quarter before finishing with 19 points and a team-high plus-23 rating. Payton Pritchard added 25 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, joining Brown as the first Celtics duo in 39 years to finish with at least 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, per NBC Sports Boston’s Dick Lipe.
Brown’s aggression consistently translated into trips to the charity stripe. He attempted 13 foul shots, falling shy of his career-high of 16, and converted 12, all while navigating Toronto’s intense defense.
“Tonight was a night where Toronto was very physical, and I was able to get to the line,” Brown said. “The game before wasn’t my best, but night-to-night things may change. I just gotta keep my head on straight, don’t let it affect my physicality or the way I play, and don’t let it cloud my vision — when you’re thinking about the refs, you’re not thinking about making the right plays.”
Frustration didn’t get the best of Brown on Friday night. After wrestling with restraint when voicing his disagreements with the officials throughout and following the Denver loss, he showed a greater level of self-control this time around. Whether Boston grew its lead to 20 points or watched it shrink down to three points in the third quarter, Brown remained composed through it all and helped guide the Celtics back into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It feels good, though,” Brown added. “It feels good to get to the line.”
Boston attempted nine more free throws than Toronto (19-10) and missed only two.
The win did more than put the C’s ahead of the New York Knicks. It underscored a shared growth between the maturation of Brown and the team’s unproven core amid an ongoing campaign of success.
Like the Celtics, Brown has spent time this season navigating his own journey. As the team’s alpha, the shift has extended his on-court responsibilities in ways he wasn’t accustomed to before. For Boston to emerge as one of the strongest teams in the East, Brown has been required to grow alongside the team and its unproven group, and it has posed a major challenge for the four-time All-Star.
Stepping into the undisputed No. 1 role hasn’t only come with added praise and visibility. Brown is now carrying a weight he’s never had to as Jayson Tatum’s partner in crime.
“It’s an adjustment because even though I’ve been in the league, I think people forget that I’m adjusting on the fly as well,” Brown said. “Obviously, having more responsibilities has called for me to step up and make more plays. I feel like I’ve always been talented, but now teams are more geared towards me, so I gotta learn and adjust on the fly too. It’s been 36 games, and I think I’ve been doing okay, but I still have room for growth.”
Brown also acknowledged that while he doesn’t believe he’s reached his ceiling, he has remained mindful of the criticism directed at both himself and his Celtics teammates before Opening Night — and he’s keeping those receipts quietly in his pocket.
“Going into the season, I don’t think that’s what people would’ve expected,” Brown said of Boston’s league-best offense (127.2 points per 100 possession) since Dec. 1. “… Some of the stuff that they were saying about what our offense would look like and me leading the offense, is not what it looks like right now. I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to come out every night and play Celtics basketball. I’m having fun this year.”
