Inside The Celtics

Jaylen Brown's Triple Double Fuels 121-110 win: 3 Reasons They Won and Player Grades

The Boston Celtics built a 34-point lead, shooting and passing well, but they nearly blew it when the Warriors turned it on in the fourth quarter.
John Karalis|
Feb 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes up for a shot against Golden State Warriors center Al Horford (20) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Feb 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes up for a shot against Golden State Warriors center Al Horford (20) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

In this story:

Boston Celtics
  1. Game Flow
  2. They passed (and cut) very well
  3. Jaylen Brown had a triple-double
  4. Payton Pritchard was big off the bench
  5. Player Grades

It was reunion night at Chase Center as the Celtics faced off against Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and the Golden State Warriors. The good vibes were short-lived as the Celtics turned a tight game into a blowout by halftime. The Warriors made a late run at it, but the hole was too deep, and Boston held on for a 121-110 win.

Box Score

Game Flow

Jaylen Brown led a balanced attack that put up 36 first-quarter points. The Celtics crashed the boards well, and they pushed the pace to near breakneck speed. The Warriors kept up by shooting 8-17 from 3, staying within four heading into the second quarter. 

Golden State’s shooting cooled off, but Boston’s picked up and they went on a monster run, winning the second quarter by 19. Payton Pritchard had 13 in the quarter and Jaylen Brown had 13 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists at halftime. 

They tacked six points onto the lead as Brown completed his triple-double. It looked like the fourth quarter was going to be garbage time, but the Warriors cut Boston’s 34 point lead down to 12 with a 24-6 run, but Pritchard hit some big 3-pointers and the Celtics were able to hold them off.

Here are three reasons why they won. 

They passed (and cut) very well

They had a season-high 36 assists, which means a few things happened. 

Obviously, they made shots (51.6% overall, 42.5% 3pt), they put themselves in position to score (especially with their cutting), and they made the right passes. 

I was especially impressed with the cutting, which the Celtics don’t do very often. According to Synergy Sports, they cut just 5.3% of the time, which is tied for fifth-lowest in the NBA. But they made the most of them against the Warriors, scoring 12% of their baskets off cuts.

The offense ran fluidly for most of the night, which is especially impressive considering they were just coming off the All-Star break.  

The passing was so good, one even bounced off a defender’s head and it turned into an assist. 

Jaylen Brown had a triple-double

According to NBC Sports Boston stat guru Dick Lipe, Brown is the first Celtic since Larry Bird to have at least 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 20-point triple-double. 

More than that, he did it efficiently, hitting 10-18 shots. 

“He just had a clear understanding of what the advantage was every time down the floor,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “I thought his rebounding was great tonight … and you can see in real time where the game just completely slowed down for him, and he was able to just recognize where the two on one was every single time. And so he takes a ton of pride in that and I thought he did a great job.”

Payton Pritchard was big off the bench

He had 26 points, six rebounds, and seven assists off the bench. It was his second-straight game with at least 25-5-5. 

I’ll say it again: Pritchard is born for this role, though he seems tired of talking about it.

“The starting thing is kind of pointless,” he said. “I played probably more minutes than I did as a starter. So I just don't play the first five minutes and I check in, and I actually would rather play longer stints like that.”

Pritchard’s two three-pointers with about five minutes to go were exactly what the Celtics were looking for in the fourth quarter. 

Player Grades

Starters

Jaylen Brown: A+ 

I want to highlight this play: 

He did a great job reading the third-level defender on the baseline, looked the defender off like a quarterback, and delivered a simple pass right on the money for a three. A lot of people would have just hit the roller in that situation, but Brown saw the play and made a better read. High-level basketball. 

Derrick White: A- 

Watch this defense: 

He stopped the break, switched onto the wing, and helped off him to get the block. It’s too bad Brown committed that foul. 

White was +14 finishing with 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds, four blocks, and a steal. The minus was for his shooting, which was still bad (4-13, 0-5 3pt). 

Sam Hauser: A

He finished with 16 points, three rebounds, and five assists. This one assist was a beauty: 

Baylor Scheierman: B

Solid play, but shot 1-5 from three. He did get a couple of offensive rebounds and this steal and layup was fun. 

It was mostly fun because White gave him a thumbs down for not dunking it. 

Neemias Queta: B-

This was a tough matchup because of Golden State’s speed and athleticism, but he bounced back in the second half. This pass to a cutting White was phenomenal. 

Bench

Nikola Vucevic: B

Did his job well enough. He spaced the floor, set good screens, and grabbed three offensive rebounds. His defense was passable, but he made mental mistakes, like biting on a Draymond Green fake on a three-pointer. That should never happen. 

Payton Pritchard: A

I stand by my assertion that his play off the bench could maybe, someday, put him in the all-time class of Celtics sixth men. He shot 10-18 in this game, 6-11 from three, and a couple of those would have been four-pointers if that line had been invented. He hit two shots from 27 feet, one from 30, and one from 35. 

Ron Harper Jr: B

He didn’t play much, but I loved the confidence he had on the floor. He feels like he belongs there. That's worth a good grade. 

Jordan Walsh: C 

He hit a couple of shots but didn’t do much else in about seven minutes. 

Hugo Gonzalez: A

He does something in almost every game that makes me gush about his future. Watch this play: 

Look at all the good things he did in a short time.

►Good spacing to be open for the outlet

►Great touch pass to the corner

►Quickly relocates to get the ball back and shake his defender

►Behind the back, Pinoy step, lefty finish

He whips off these instinctual plays from time to time and they hook me in a big way. I’m all in on Gonzalez. I’m telling you this kid is special. I’m driving the Hugo Hype Train and I’m not concerned with being wrong. 

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John Karalis
JOHN KARALIS

John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece). John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.

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