Celtics-Mavs Player Grades: Jaylen Brown's Great Night Overshadowed by Jayson Tatum

Tatum's return was obviously the big story, but Jaylen Brown had a very good game that deserves a little bit of shine.

Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) watch the Jumbotron during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

1. Game Flow
2. Their big-time players had big-time games
3. They crashed the boards again
4. Jayson Tatum came to life
5. Dallas isn’t very good
6. Player Grades

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum made his debut and looked both rusty and like himself, starting slow but eventually getting some shots to fall. The Celtics got big nights from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, but they lost Nikola Vucevic to a fractured finger, as they blew Dallas out, 120-100.

Box Score

Game Flow

Tatum played the first six minutes of the game and didn’t score, but he had two rebounds and two assists. The scoring was spread out as both the Celtics and Mavs struggled from the field, which led to a 22-21 Mavs lead after one. 

The scoring picked up significantly in the second quarter, but the Mavs were able to keep it close until Boston went on an 11-2 run to close the quarter, thanks in part to Jayson Tatum finally getting on the board with a putback dunk and three-pointer, to go into the half up five. 

Tatum kept the flow going in the third, helping the Celtic tack another five points onto their lead. He scored seven in the third, and the Celtics got 12 from Jaylen Brown as they closed the quarter on a 14-5 run. They dominated the fourth quarter to open up a 25 point lead and run away with it. 

Here are four reasons why they won

Their big-time players had big-time games

Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and even Jayson Tatum all had stretches where they were carrying the offense. They combined for 77 of Boston’s points. 

Brown’s night might not be appreciated very much considering everything that happened, but he gave the game exactly what it needed. Derrick White did Derrick White things, once again proving he might be the league’s best perimeter defender. Pritchard gave them a spark by doing a bit of everything. 

They crashed the boards again

After a rough night against the Hornets, The Celtics got back on the boards with 14 offensive rebounds and 21 second chance points. The second chances carried them through their early shooting struggles giving them four more shot attempts in the first quarter than the Mavs. 

Jayson Tatum came to life

His first two stints were what we expected: more passing than anything, some badly missed shots, a missed dunk where he couldn't get the ball over the rim. But once he settled into the game, things started to go better. 

“What I liked is just his approach,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He competed defensively, I think he had three assists, two rebounds before he even took his first shot, so I think just the playmaking, but just a steady balance of the things, of the process, of what we need to do to win, and I thought he attacked that well tonight.”

Dallas isn’t very good

I’ll just say they aren’t really broken up about this loss in Big D. 

Player Grades

Jaylen Brown: A (24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists)

His game will fly under the radar, but it’s worth noting that it gave us a glimpse into some more off-ball stuff that he can work into his game now that Tatum is back. 

Dynamic Duo ain't skipped a beat 😏 pic.twitter.com/Stmmnj1FNC

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 7, 2026

It’s going to be very interesting to see how each adjusts his game.

Derrick White: A (20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals)

I think he’ll benefit the most from Tatum being back. The floor will open up for him very nicely. 

🚨 Derrick White Dunk Alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ckJ5Om72ml

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 7, 2026

White might be in line for a very nice finish to the season. 

Neemias Queta: A (16 points, 15 rebounds, 1 block)

Look at this sequence: 

This whole Neemi sequence >>> pic.twitter.com/qZgm5tER0I

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 7, 2026

Now that Vucevic is out for a while, Queta might go from a guy who stood to lose some time because of the situation to a guy who might greatly benefit with some extra time with Tatum. 

“Me and Neemi had a little talk during the game,” Tatum said. “We were just like, man, it’s our first day really playing together and there’s some things we’ve gotta work on but it was just fun, we just shared a moment. He was telling me some things he was seeing out there and how we can get our connection better moving forward. And like I said, it was our first day and it can only get better.”

Jayson Tatum: A- (15 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists)

If this is the starting point of this phase of his rehab, then watch out. I never thought he looked tentative or passive. Maybe he was trying to fit in a little bit early on, but he was still doing Tatum things. 

Payton Pritchard: A- (18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks)

Good to see him get back on track after going scoreless in two of his last three games. 

Luka Garza: B+ (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks) 

At one point in this game, he was the game’s leading scorer. Of course, he didn’t score after that, but he stepped in after Vucevic went down and played well. He did his usual thing, grabbing three offensive boards, hitting a couple of three-pointers, and setting good screens.

Sam Hauser: B (6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Would have loved to see him hit another three (he was 2-8) but he did rebound and defend. Again, a solid game for him. 

Hugo Gonzalez/Baylor Scheierman: B- 

They each had a couple of nice moments and were generally good. But each of their roles will likely decrease to some degree with Tatum back.