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Jaylen Brown’s declaration after dropping 50 points, guarding Kawhi Leonard
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- Jaylen Brown’s declaration after dropping 50 points, guarding Kawhi Leonard
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Jaylen Brown's declaration after dropping 50 points, guarding Kawhi Leonard appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
INGLEWOOD, CA — Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers came into Saturday night's game as the hottest team in the NBA, having won six games in a row. They could've won 33 in a row coming in, but nothing was going to stop the highly-motivated Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown .
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"I just wanted to win," Jaylen Brown said after Saturday night's win. "It was the last game of the road trip, wanted to finish out strong. I believe I'm the best two-way player in the world. I just wanted to come out and show it."
Brown is having the best season of his career on both ends of the ball and had an incredible month of December. Despite that, he was not honored with the Player of the Month award for the month of December, a meaningless award in the grand scheme of things but an award that he felt he earned through his and his team's strong play.
The 29-year old walked into Intuit Dome, a man on a mission to show that he's one of the best players in the world. He did exactly that.
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Jaylen Brown finished with a career-high tying 50 points in 35 minutes of play against Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers. Brown shot 18-of-26 from the field, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
"I knew [I was hot] before the game started," Brown explained. "In warm ups, I could just feel like every shot, the ball was coming off my hand super clean, my footwork felt great. I did salsa last night. Had some great salsa classes, so I felt good as soon as I walked into the arena."
Brown recorded 13 points in the first quarter on 5-of-7 shooting. He only had seven points in the second quarter, but followed that up with a 19-point third quarter on 7-of-8 shooting and an 11-point fourth quarter on 5-of-7 shooting.
"Yeah, you don't even think. You're not even thinking about it at all. You're just playing. It's like you're just, it's like something takes over you, almost in the sense. It's like a flow state. But I'm just happy we got the win. I'm ready to go home."
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The 2024 NBA Finals MVP has been on a tear to start this season, averaging a career-highs in points (30.1), assists (5.0), field goal percentage (51.0 percent), and free throw percentage (77.9 percent).
Led by his stellar play, the Celtics are now 22-12 on the season, essentially tied for the second seed in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks and only three games back of the East-leading Detroit Pistons .
"I like when my back against the wall, I like when people doubt me. Even though it would be nice to get some respect, you know, keep it up. I definitely use it as fuel.
"I think I've always had a great mentality and approach to the game. I've always put the team first, whatever the coaching staff has asked me to do, I've done, and now I've been asked to do more because a lot of guys were traded. We've been forced to be put in this position and I'm grateful because I'm able to show the world who I am and who I've been. I just want to keep it up, stay healthy, keep playing team basketball."
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The Celtics will now return home for a four-game homestand starting with a contest against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. If Brown is able to continue his hot play as the Celtics pile on the victories, which all signs point to, he should be firmly in the MVP conversations.
Related: Celtics' Jaylen Brown matches career-high with Player of the Month 50-point revenge game
