In their first game back after the NBA All-Star break, the Boston Celtics relied on Jaylen Brown’s triple-double to break through the still-injured Golden State Warriors in a 121-110 victory on Friday.
With Steph Curry still sidelined with a knee injury for at least another week, officially ruling him out of any awards at the end of the season, the Celtics breezed through the majority of the matchup without Golden State’s main offensive weapon.
“Just being aggressive, finding my spots… We got a lot of great players on this team, some great shooters, so just making the easy, simple read,” Brown said postgame.
Jaylen Brown Notches Triple-Double in Three Quarters
In a game where the C’s led by as many as 34, Jaylen Brown notched a triple-double of 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists, his third of the season and only the sixth of his career.
Meanwhile, Payton Pritchard served as Boston’s spark plug off the bench, notching 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Thanks to Brown’s triple-double, the Celtics executed a collective scoring output, as all 11 players who saw the floor scored at least 5 points.
Kristaps Porzingis Makes Warriors Debut
After being recently acquired in a deal that sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks, Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis finally made his anticipated debut for Golden State, notching 12 points off the bench in limited minutes.
The deal also reunites Porzingis with fellow center Al Horford, as both players won a ring with, coincidentally, the Celtics in 2024.
With Curry still sidelined, the Dubs can expect Porzingis to space the floor as a 36.6% career three-point shooter, while also being the big man that Golden State has been searching for years.
The Celtics will look to extend their winning streak as they face their longtime rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Monday, while the Warriors will look to return to the win column on the same day when they face the Denver Nuggets.
