Tag: Jaylen Brown

Atlanta legend Dominique Wilkins has high praise for Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics East Player of the Week Jaylen Brown was on the receiving end of some high praise from Atlanta legend and ex-Celtic Dominique Wilkins Monday.

Georgia is Boston Celtics starting shooting guard Jaylen Brown’s home state.

It just so happens to be the home of Atlanta Hawks legend (and former Celtic) Dominique Wilkins as well.

So, it was not a minor deal when said Hawks legend sought out the Marietta native to laud Brown’s growth as a player while both were in town for Boston’s 123-115 win over Atlanta Monday.

Wilkins, who carved out a Hall of Fame career over a dozen years with the Hawks before a short stint with the Celtics in the mid-1990s, had praise for the Cal-Berkeley product’s development and poise.

The fourth-year guard is putting up career-high numbers this season that, in retrospect, probably warranted an All-Star reserve nod.

Logging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 37.8 % from deep and 56.5 % overall, Brown garnered Player of the Week in the East for the second time this week despite the All-Star snub.

“You’re representing home well,” noted the Atlanta legend (via the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett), to which a potential future local luminary responded simply “I’m trying to”.

And Brown has been doing more than trying — he has been a key driver of the Celtics’ unanticipated levels of success this season, keeping the team in the contention hunt despite losing two top-50 players over the summer as part of a four-man hydra that has made Boston almost impossible to guard.

“You there, brother,” added Wilkins. “Don’t even worry about that.”

Wilkins, as a matter of fact, is also a buyer on Brown as an All-Star, and is pleased with how the Georgian guard has blossomed into a elite player.

“I’ve know this guy since he was a kid. I saw guys like Lou Williams and Derrick Favors and Jaylen grow up. I knew them as kids. I remember how big he was for a guy his age — and he was physical. He had size and he was athletic. He was big for his age.”

What Wilkins likes even more about the former Golden Bear is his consummate professionalism in the throes of the chaos of last season, which saw Brown forced to take a step back after carrying his team to the brink of the NBA Finals to a bench role.

“He’s acted like a consummate professional … There were times when he heard different things, like was he going to get traded or not, and he hung in there and he grew as a basketball player. He grew as a person. He’s always shown respect, and I love guys like that.”

Brown has grown immensely as a player in the last two seasons, both in skill and how he’s navigated complicated situations.

He arrived in Boston an uber-athletic, intellectual kid — but in a few short years has learned to direct his physical and intellectual gifts with precision and not just intensity.

It’s that fine-tuning that has made the Georgian such a potent on-court force.

It’s also the driving force behind Brown’s off-court achievements that has helped him use his platforms in ways which extend far beyond basketball.

The 23-year-old carries the mantle of budding star well in a league known for chewing up and spitting out prospects who take their opportunities for granted, not only excelling as a player but as a person, representing himself, the league, and the communities he’s called home quite well.

Take it from ‘Nique, if not us.

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Jaylen Brown East Player of the Week for second time this season

Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown has been named East Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Boston Celtics starting shooting guard Jaylen Brown has been named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week.

The honors, second of the year for the Cal-Berkeley product, puts the fourth-year wing in some rarified air.

The only other Celtics who have had multiple player-of-the-week honors include Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Isaiah Thomas, and Antoine Walker, according to team reporter Taylor Snow.

The nod comes after another — specifically, an invitation to be an East reserve at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game — did not.

Since then, the Georgia native has been sublimating whatever frustration he may have felt at the slight into some seriously high-octane performances in the games that followed.

While there is still a chance an injury could pave the way for Brown as a replacement candidate, the former Golden Bear is doing plenty to make voters second-guess their initial choices in the meantime.

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When it comes to All-Star snubs, don’t feel bad for Jaylen Brown

Fourth-year Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown is not losing sleep over his recent 2020 NBA All-Star game snub; instead, he’s focused on preparing for a deep postseason run.

If the 2020 All-Star snub stung Jaylen Brown, he’s taking it out on opponents from the looks of things.

After a night logging just one bucket under his career high with 32 points and 9 rebounds in a win over division rival Philadelphia 76ers, the fourth-year shooting guard reminded the league why he should have been an All-Star.

Perhaps he will still, with news Atlanta Hawks point guard and East All-Star starter Trae Young has sprained an ankle being related by ESPN’s Tim McMahon, or some other All-Star finding themselves too banged-up to play.

But Brown’s case should not have to rise on the misfortune of others, as he arguably had the better case between he and teammate Jayson Tatum, at least in terms of numbers, and last night was one of several such examples.

Against the Sixers and in general this season, Brown has been more efficient overall, and has been a better 3-point shooter last night aside. He’s scored almost exactly as much per game (Brown averages 20.4 per game to Tatum’s 21.5), and rebounded at near-identical rates (6.4 to 6.2 per game).

Whatever reason Tatum was chosen over Brown, he’s taking it in stride, refusing to cast blame at others, unlike some bitter peers.

“Ain’t no reason to cry over spilled milk,” Brown explained (via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm).

The Georgia native has already turned his focus to the things he can control, including prepping his body and mind for the final third of the season.

“Getting ready to head into the playoffs is what my mind is on right now. All-Star Break, I’ll probably go on vacation, get my body and mind right to get ready for the playoffs because that’s it, you know what I mean? That’s the stage you want to be on.”

“I think some people have it backwards,” he added.

In the end, Brown is right. While All-Star games count towards Hall of Fame nods and league-wide respect, there’s nothing that compares to what comes from producing on the game’s biggest stage, and nothing endures quite like a banner.

And besides, do we really believe Brown won’t be getting even more attention from fans and peers as he continues to grow his game?

“I’m just going to continue to get better,” notes the Cal-Berkeley product.

He’s not wrong.

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All-Star vote: The players who always do better with fans than peers

For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns. For example, which players …

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For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns.

For example, which players do better with fans than with their NBA peers?

We found out 16 guys have ranked higher in the fan vote than in the players vote every year since 2017. Only two on the list have made the All-Star Game and they are both members of the world-beating Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Kind of makes you go ‘Hmmm’, right?

The largest disparity between player and fan vote happens with Jordan Clarkson, though, which was kind of unexpected.

For more details, you can check the gallery above. All rankings based on position and conference.

Walker, Tatum on The Ringer’s Dan Devine’s All-Star list; Brown among ‘toughest cuts’

Kemba Walker has been voted an NBA All-Star. Will Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown (or neither, or both) join him?

Will the Boston Celtics have multiple All-Star representatives this season?

Dan Devine of The Ringer, a media member who voted for starters, believes the Celtics have two such deserving players.

He voted for guard Kemba Walker as a starter and wrote that forward Jayson Tatum deserves to be a reserve. Devine went back and forth between Tatum and Brown and ultimately decided on the 21-year-old.

Devine had Walker as a no-brainer starter:

“If you require explanations for Giannis (Antetokounmpo), LeBron (James), Luka (Doncic), (James) Harden, AD (Anthony Davis), or Kemba, stop reading this, go to the emergency room immediately, and please have a doctor check out that head wound.”

Walker has averaged 22.3 points, five assists and four rebounds per game while shooting above 38% on almost nine 3-pointers per game. His net rating of 8.1 and true shooting percentage of 58.8 are the best of his career.

Walker has helped revitalize the Celtics, who enter Wednesday with a 31-15 record and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, just 1.5 games out of second.

Devine voted Walker and Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons as starters at the guard positions. Walker and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young were announced as starters by the league.

Reserves will be announced Thursday, and Devine believes coaches should vote Tatum in as a wild card spot, slightly ahead of Brown.

“They’ve been one of the best wing tandems in the league this season. Their statistical cases are remarkably similar, with Brown boasting better shooting numbers, especially inside the arc, and Tatum shouldering a larger offensive load, especially in reserve-heavy lineups without Walker.”

That offensive load Tatum carries, particularly when Walker sits, got him the edge over Brown.

Tatum’s net rating of 11.1 is the highest on the team among players who have appeared in more than 12 games. It’s almost twice as high as Brown’s at 6.0.

Even with poorer shooting numbers, Devine sees Tatum as a better scorer. He also likes Tatum more as a passer and playmaker, and on defense has improved — his defensive rating of 101.8 well eclipses Brown’s, which is 106.5.

Devine also notes that Tatum has the fifth-best real plus-minus in the league.

This stat can be misleading on its own — No. 6 is Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and No. 7 is Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom are fine players not stars by any means — but when used as just a piece of the equation, it can be useful. The four players with better real plus-minuses than Tatum are starters in the All-Star game.

Entering Wednesday, Tatum and Brown’s raw numbers were extremely close: Tatum had the marginal edge in points (21.5 to 20.1), rebounds (6.9 to 6.6) and assists (2.9 to 2.4) in almost the exact same number of minutes per game (34 to 33.7).

Tatum’s usage rate of 26.9 is slightly higher than Brown’s of 24.1.

But Brown’s percentages are noticeably better. He’s shooting 55.5% from inside the arc, 39% from out and has a true shooting percentage of 59.9.

Tatum is shooting 47.4% from inside, 36.6% from out and has a true shooting percentage of 54.1.

Devine thinks Tatum should be in the game. He listed Brown as one of the “toughest cuts.” Now, it’s up to the coaches.

But whether neither, one or both of the young players make it, Tatum and Brown have put together strong seasons and continue to give Celtics fans a future to be excited about.

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Boston Celtics at Miami Heat sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and best bets.

The Boston Celtics (30-15) visit the Miami Heat (32-14) at AmericanAirlines Arena for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze Celtics-Heat odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Celtics at Heat: Key injuries

Celtics

  • SG Javonte Green (knee) questionable
  • SF Jayson Tatum (groin) doubtful
  • C Enes Kanter (hip) out
  • C Robert Williams III (hip) out

Heat

  • PG Kendrick Nunn (Achilles) questionable
  • SF Justise Winslow (back) out

Celtics at Heat: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Celtics 108, Heat 103

Moneyline (ML)

Circumstances dictate backing the CELTICS (-106)  Tuesday night against the Heat (-115). On one hand, Miami is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers at 20-2 with the best home win/loss record in the NBA. On the other hand, Boston is 11-0 with a rest advantage with a plus-15.6 margin of victory and Miami is 3-5 on the second game of back-to-backs with a minus-9.8 point differential. Boston has won four straight games against Miami, including a 112-93 trouncing in their first meeting of the season.

They cancel each other out offensively—Miami averages 112.2 points per game and Boston averages 112.3 PPG—but the Celtics have the edge defensively, where they are ranked third in opponent PPG and fifth in defensive rating versus a Heat squad ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, in those same categories.

New to sports betting? Bet $106 on the Celtics to earn a profit of $100 if they win outright.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Ehhh … let’s PASS on an against the spread wager. With two top-10 offensively rated basketball teams squaring off, there’s no point in taking Celtics +1.5 (-121). If the Heat win by one, my bad.

Over/Under (O/U)

I LEAN UNDER 218.5 (-106) for various reasons. Both teams play with a below-average tempo: Boston is ranked 17th in Pace and Miami is 26th. The Celtics have an Over/Under record of 4-7 when playing with a rest advantage and the O/U is 4-4 in Heat games when the playing on no rest.

Also, when you combine BetMGM‘s projection of this being a close game, the Celtics’ elite defense and the Heat’s assumed fatigue in this spot, a tightly contested, slow-paced game that plays to the Under is the most likely outcome.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Celtics defeat Grizzlies in 119-95 rout to pick up second straight win

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points in the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Boston Celtics have one of the most balanced offenses in the NBA, with most players having ample opportunities to score.

That balanced attack proved beneficial Wednesday night as the Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-95, to pick up a second straight win. Six players scored in double figures, and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points on 50% shooting from the field.

Per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Tatum left the game in the third quarter with a right groin strain.

According to John Karalis of MassLive.com, Jaylen Brown was out with an ankle sprain. With Brown out, the Celtics needed someone to fill the scoring void. Brown is the Celtics’ third-leading scorer. Daniel Theis was second behind Tatum in scoring, as he totaled 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and had three blocks.

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart both scored 12 points, and Enes Kanter and Brad Wanamaker combined for 23 points off the bench.

The Celtics had a quality shooting performance, as they shot 50.6% from the field and 43.8% from the 3-point line. A 41-point third quarter was the height of their offensive outburst.

Another key facet of the win was the Celtics’ defense. Rookie phenom Ja Morant was held to a season-low two points, and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies’ third-leading scorer, scored six points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

The Celtics will look to extend their win streak to three games Friday on the road against the Orlando Magic.

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Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum reflect on their dunks on LeBron

After Jaylen Brown joined the “I posterized LeBron club” on Martin Luther King Day, he and Jayson Tatum compared their dunks on the future Hall of Famer.

Even if he may agree that fellow Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum’s dunk on LeBron James was the better of the two, Jaylen Brown’s came in a win.

Tatum, who famously baptized the King in a Game 7 loss in the 2018 NBA Finals, was understandably excited about the jam at the time. And while it came in the loss, it was some of the first tangible evidence of what the young wing might become.

On Martin Luther King Day, Jaylen Brown delivered the second round of that evidence, and this time it was conclusive, Boston coming away with the win in the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams this season.

“That was a hell of a play by Jaylen,” Jayson Tatum said post-game (via MassLive’s John Karalis).

“He’s so gifted, especially athletically,” added the Duke product.

How did the man himself feel after posterizing one of the greatest to play the game? “I ain’t gonna lie, it was pretty nice, it was pretty awesome” offered Brown.

“It surprised me,” Tatum admitted. “I didn’t think he was going to dunk it, especially that vertical.”

The Cal-Berkeley product would get just enough lift after clearing a runway to get over and above James on the play, throwing down the dunk with authority and earning a technical foul for his enthusiasm about it.

The tech ultimately mattered less than the energy it sparked from Boston, who would go on to win handily after Los Angeles had threatened to get back into the game a few times.

At the time Tatum boomed LeBron, it was all the then-rookie could think about. “It’s my most memorable play ever … It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in basketball,” explained the Missouri native at the time (courtesy of NBC Sports Boston).

An older, more seasoned Brown might feel the same, but instead frames it with a certain challenge built-in for when the team next faces the Lakers on Feb. 23rd at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“Just to be out there playing against one of the best players ever to play is an honor,” Brown offered. “So I always like that matchup. It always gives me a little extra boost.”

That’s good, because they’ll likely need it to win the rematch on the road.

For head coach Brad Stevens, the focus is now squarely trained on the Memphis Grizzlies, refusing to get too excited about the win with many games in close proximity still filling the pre-All-Star calendar.

His opinion of the dunk?

Per team reporter Marc D’Amico, “I love a good extra pass as much as a good dunk, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”

Fair enough. But what about LeBron?

“It’s not the first time I’ve been dunked on, might not be the last time I get dunked on, but Jaylen’s been playing extremely well this year, and that was a good play,” noted the 15-time All-Star per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

No argument on any of the above from these parts.

Kemba Walker gets first win over LeBron James as Celtics smash Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers got run off the floor on Monday night against a hungry Boston Celtics squad.

With plenty of help from his teammates, Boston’s Kemba Walker scored his first-ever career victory over LeBron James in his All-Star career, snapping a 28-game losing streak against the King and his teams. The Celtics defeated the Lakers, 139-107, on Monday night behind 27 points from Jayson Tatum and 20 points from Walker. Jaylen Brown, who also had an incredible dunk over LeBron James, finished with 20 points as well.

The Lakers were run off the court on Monday night, suffering their worst loss of the season, trailing by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter before waving the white flag early in the final period by removing LeBron and Anthony Davis from the game. LeBron James had 15 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds on the night while Anthony Davis had nine points and four rebounds in his first game since a five-game absence.

The Celtics were able to score on the Lakers in a way that few have been able to so far this season. Their slicing penetration and ball movement proved problematic for the normally solid Lakers defense. Boston shot over 50% from the field and over 40% from the 3-point line in Monday’s win.

As for the Lakers, they will now head to New York City where they have two games coming against the Knicks and Nets before they head to Philadelphia on Saturday to wrap up their five-game road trip.

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Jaylen Brown posterized LeBron James with a powerful dunk and NBA fans loved it

Jaylen Brown dunked all over LeBron James.

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics are looking to snap a 3-game losing streak tonight and make a statement against the LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston.

Well, Brown sure did make a statement of his own in the third quarter when he dunked all over LeBron on a powerful move to the hoop that left NBA fans in complete awe. He also got called for a technical for taunting LeBron after the jam because refs are lame.

The dunk helped increase the Celtics’ double-digit lead over the Lakers and it almost blew the roof off the Boston Garden.

Check out Brown throwing down this beautiful dunk, which had LeBron couldn’t do anything to stop:

Yup, that was pretty sweet.

NBA Twitter loved it: