Celtics-Warriors Player Grades: Best Combined Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Game Yet

Game Flow
The Jays were great
They got good production from the bench
They let Draymond Green shoot
Player Grades

The Celtics got their best combined game of the season from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, got out to a big early lead, and held off some token runs by an undermanned Warriors team. They did welcome back Kristaps Porzingis, leading to some fun moments between Porzingis and his former teammates throughout the night, but that's all the fun the Warriors had. Celtics win 120-99

Box Score

Game Flow

Kristaps Porzingis helped fuel an early Golden State run with two quick blocks on the same possession and then a three-pointer. But the Celtics answered with a 15-3 run, fueled in large part by Jayson Tatum’s shooting and passing. Jaylen Brown took over from there, scoring 19 in the quarter and pushing the lead to 13 after 12 minutes.

The Celtics survived a sloppy start to the second, but their fouls piled up quickly. The Warriors couldn't take advantage though, and the Celtics were able to punish Golden State on the boards to build the lead out to 20. Once again, though, the Celtics started turning the ball over, leading to a Warriors run that cut it to 12. Ultimately, the second quarter was played even, and the halftime lead was 13.

The Warriors went on an extended 24-9 run to cut the lead to seven, but Golden State’s own excessive fouling put Boston in the bonus with nine minutes to play, helping them go on a quick 6-0 run to get back to 13 (capped by Tatum taking Porzingis to the rim). They got it back over 20 before settling at 16 through three.

Derrick White’s defense was a big part of Boston’s early fourth quarter success. Jayson Tatum’s three-pointer with 6:25 to go put Boston up 22, and it was elementary from there.

Here are three reasons they won.

The Jays were great

They combined for 56 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists, and they had Boston’s second and third-best plus-minus nights. They set the perfect tone to start the game and cruised the rest of the way. This might be the scariest game yet for Celtics opponents as the Jays seem to be figuring things out quickly.

They got good production from the bench

Payton Pritchard, Luka Garza, and Baylor Scheierman all had varying degrees of impact on this game at different times. Pritchard’s shot is back, Garza is hitting threes at an incredible rate this season, and Scheierman did a little of everything to support Tatum and Brown.

They let Draymond Green shoot

Green actually went 3-7 from three, which could be worse. But by letting him shoot, it took away from his passing, which is much more dangerous.

Actually, they could have let almost anyone for the Warriors shoot. Golden State shot 10-43 from deep. Boston was 14-39, which is an average 36%, but on a night like this, it was good for +12 from beyond the arc.

Player Grades

Jaylen Brown: A (32 points, 6 rebound, 5 assists)

He did most of his scoring damage in the first quarter, but I think that's a good thing because he didn’t force anything. He started out with 19 and had 13 the rest of the way, but he also had five assists and two steals.

He jumped into 10th on the Celtics all-time scoring list tonight. The guy ahead of him? Jayson Tatum.

Jayson Tatum: A (24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists)

He played 31 minutes, starting out strong and putting up his best overall game in his return to action. The efficiency was there, the aggressiveness, the all-around play.

I can’t help but say it again … I’m shocked at how well this guy is playing 10 months after an Achilles tear. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a medical marvel.

Payton Pritchard: A (19 points, 7 assists)

He shot 50% from the field and 3-7 from three. After struggling for a few games, it looks like Pritchard is back.

Luka Garza: A (15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals)

He was pressed into some longer early minutes because Neemias Queta was in foul trouble, and he did a great job spacing the floor, crashing the boards, and even defending.

Derrick White: B+ (11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals)

He had a sloppy stretch to start the second quarter and he was 1-5 from three, but the three steals and a block was great. His start to the fourth helped put the game away.

Baylor Scheierman: B (3 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal)

A solid overall game. I was especially impressed with him getting on the floor to force a jump ball with his fractured thumb. It clearly bothered him afterwards, but it’s the warrior mentality (no pun intended) people are looking for.

Neemias Queta: B (8 points, 7 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal)

He got into early foul trouble but he did a good job on the glass, grabbing three offensive rebounds.

Hugo Gonzalez: C- (0 points, 3 rebounds)

Is he hitting the rookie wall?