Jaylen Brown

Celtics Notes: White, Walsh, Horford, Series Outlook

June 10th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s going to get even more expensive for the Celtics to keep their core group together. Derrick White, who has excelled during the postseason, will be seeking a contract extension this summer, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

White will make $20MM next season in the last year of the four-year deal he signed with the Spurs. He’s eligible for another four-year deal that would max out in the neighborhood of $126MM. The remainder of the Celtics’ starting lineup is signed through at least the 2025/26 season, with all making at least $29MM per season.

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The lone rookie on the team, Jordan Walsh, has only appeared in two postseason games but he’s contributing in other ways, Souichi Terada of Masslive.com writes. He’s trying to push Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown whenever he’s matched up against the star wing duo in practice. “I’m here to kill you in practice. I don’t care who you are, I’m trying to kill. So that’s kind of the mentality I have,” he said.
Al Horford‘s experience and leadership is invaluable to the team, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes in a feature story. “The bottom line is, we are much better because Al Horford is on our team, and everybody in the room is better because Al Horford is on the team,” top executive Brad Stevens said. “That’s the most important thing. He raises all ships. That’s just the way he’s always been. We don’t take that for granted. We know how important he is.” Horford’s on-court contributions have remained steady –he’s averaging 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the postseason.
The ESPN trio of Brian Windhorst, Marc Spears and Dave McMenamin provide their observations and expectations for the remainder of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks.

Celtics Notes: Best Player Debate, Holiday, Porzingis, MVP Candidates

June 10th, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Arthur Hill

It seems the Celtics don’t really care who their best player is. After Mavericks coach Jason Kidd tried a bit of psychological warfare over the weekend by suggesting that it’s Jaylen Brown rather than Jayson Tatum, Boston responded with a stellar team effort Sunday night to claim a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Brown contributed 21 points, four rebounds and seven assists, while Tatum suffered through another poor shooting night at 6-of 22 from the field but barely missed a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. Jrue Holiday led the team in scoring with 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, and Derrick White chipped in 18 points and five boards.

“I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor. (That) is the most important thing.”

Though Tatum typically carries the scoring load, Weiss notes that Mazzulla’s strategy for Game 2 was to have him draw double teams in the post and find teammates cutting to the basket. Dallas tried to clog the middle and shut off passes to three-point shooters, but that often left Holiday with a clear path to the rim. Holiday weighed in on the controversy that Kidd tried to create, saying he enjoys playing alongside Tatum and Brown.

“So just to address the comment yesterday, I do not prefer one or the other. I prefer both,” Holiday said. “Both of them are superstars, and it’s being shown out here on the biggest stage in the world.”

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Holiday deserves consideration in any debate about the Celtics’ best player, observes Matt Finn of The Boston Globe. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, the veteran guard played his usual relentless defense on Sunday, limiting Kyrie Irving to a 7-of-18 night from the field and making Luka Doncic earn all 32 of his points. Holiday also brings a championship pedigree to Boston’s backcourt after winning a title with Milwaukee in 2021. “He has that experience, that just championship DNA, which you hear all about all the time,” White said. “You don’t really know what it takes until you do what it takes. Just the moment he came to our team in training camp, he kind of just had that presence about him. He just knows how to win.”
Kristaps Porzingis isn’t concerned about his right leg after tweaking it late in Sunday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis returned for the Finals after missing more than a month with a right calf strain, and he doesn’t believe the latest incident will prevent him from playing. “Obviously something happened a little bit,” Porzingis said. “But I have a couple days again (before Wednesday’s Game 3). Believe me, we will do everything we can to be back and moving well. … I’ll die out there if we need. Just kept going. Obviously I was a little limited, so smart thing was to get Al (Horford) back in there and close out the game.”
Tatum may be the favorite for Finals MVP honors even though he’s only shooting 12-of-38 in the series, according to Matt Vatour of MassLive, who ranks the top candidates through two games.

Celtics Notes: Pozingis, Brown, Tatum, Rebounding

June 9th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link), Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said he’ll come off the bench once again in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which tips off at 7:00 pm CT on Sunday night. The Latvian big man previously said he’s on a minutes restriction, though he didn’t offer any specifics on that restriction.

While rehabbing his left calf strain, Porzingis admitted he had doubts about whether he would recover in time to return for the playoffs at all.

“Yes,” Porzingis told Andrews. “… Because it was getting longer than expected and you’re like, ‘Am I going to be good? Am I going to be in shape for the Finals?’ It’s tough. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough, just to prepare for that mentally.”

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Porzingis praised the crowd’s impact in Game 1, as Souichi Terada of MassLive relays. “That was insane, I’m not gonna lie,” Porzingis said. “Just walking in the tunnel, it was kind of a WWE style walk-in. I didn’t even know it was for me at first. Then just walking out, just hearing the crowd roar. I was getting real excitement to start the game and give everything to these fans that came to support.”
Speaking to reporters during a media session on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd referred to Jaylen Brown as the Celtics‘ “best player” when asked about the challenges of facing the Boston wing. For his part, Brown said he was unfazed by Kidd’s apparent attempt at gamesmanship. “I don’t have no reaction,” Brown said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Jayson Tatum, who is generally regarded as Boston’s top player, was similarly nonplussed, according to Bontemps. “This is a team sport,” Tatum said. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have JB on our team, and we can say that for a lot of guys, right. We have all played a part in getting to where we’re at, and we understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. I guess it’s a smart thing to do or try to do. We’ve been in this position for many years of guys trying to divide us and say that one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. So it’s not our first time at the rodeo.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains why Boston’s edge in rebounding is an “underrated key” to the series with Dallas.

NBA Finals Notes: Brown, Porzingis, Mavs’ Centers, Luka, Kyrie

June 8th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters during a media session on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd referred to Jaylen Brown as the Celtics‘ “best player” when asked about the challenges of facing the Boston wing (Twitter video link).

“Well, Jaylen’s their best player,” Kidd said. “So just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka (Doncic) full court, he got to the free throw line, he did everything. That’s what your best player does.”

You could certainly make a case that Brown has been the Celtics’ best player in this postseason — his 24.8 points per game during the playoffs rank slightly behind Jayson Tatum‘s 25.3 PPG, but he has got his points far more efficiently, shooting 54.3% from the floor and 36.6% on three-pointers, compared to 43.8% and 29.9% for Tatum.

Still, the general consensus is that Tatum – who has also averaged a team-high 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the postseason – is Boston’s best player, so Kidd’s comments raised some eyebrows. While they may reflect his honest opinion, it’s hard not to read Kidd’s praise of Brown as an attempt at gamesmanship, given that the relationship between the two Celtics stars has been a popular topic of speculation among outsiders over the years.

Here’s more on the NBA Finals, with Game 2 on tap for Sunday:

Given how well the Celtics played in Game 1 with Kristaps Porzingis coming off the bench, head coach Joe Mazzulla will face an interesting decision on whether to return the big man to his spot in the starting lineup on Sunday, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. As Robb notes, Boston played its best basketball with Porzingis on the court and could still manage his minutes over the course of the night if he starts. However, the team has gone 10-1 with Al Horford as its starting center during the playoffs and is riding an eight-game winning streak, so Mazzulla may not want to mess with what’s working.
Despite Mazzulla saying prior to Game 1 that Porzingis had no minutes limit, the big man told reporters on Saturday that he is in fact facing a minutes restriction (Twitter link via Souichi Terada of MassLive.com). Porzingis, who logged 21 minutes in Game 1, didn’t offer any specifics on that restriction.
Porzingis’ presence represents a major problem for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who says the Celtics’ floor-spacing centers essentially neutralized the impact of Dallas big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, who had to chase Porzingis and Horford out to the perimeter rather than hanging back and protecting the rim. As Townsend points out, Gafford and Lively combined for just 10 points, eight rebounds, and no blocks on Thursday, while Porzingis and Horford totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
Doncic and Kyrie Irving were unable to beat their defenders one-on-one in Game 1, which would’ve forced the Celtics to send help and created open shots for teammates, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. As a result, the two stars combined for just three assists, while the team as a whole had only nine. If that doesn’t change going forward and Doncic and Irving can’t do more in those one-on-one situations, it will likely be a quick series, Hollinger opines.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Brown, Mazzulla, Kyrie, Takeaways

June 7th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Making his first appearance in five-plus weeks due to a strained right calf he sustained in the first round, big man Kristaps Porzingis gave the Celtics a major spark off the bench in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

The 28-year-old finished with 20 points (on 8-of-13 shooting), six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. Boston was plus-13 when he was on the court in the 18-point victory.

“Kristaps had a monster game for us,” Jaylen Brown said. “Just his presence shooting the ball and then him being able to attack those switches and mismatches, he made ’em pay every time, and that’s what we need going forward in the series.”

According to Bontemps, Porzingis praised Boston’s crowd for getting his adrenaline flowing in just the second game of his career as a reserve.

“Tonight was an affirmation to myself that I’m pretty good (physically), you know?” Porzingis said. “Maybe I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty good and I can play like this and I can definitely add to this team.”

Here’s more on the Celtics, who now hold a 1-0 lead on the Mavericks:

Porzingis’ coach and other teammates raved about his performance as well, per Jay King of The Athletic. “He’s a matchup nightmare,” Derrick White said. “Even when you play good defense, he doesn’t see you. It’s been unreal just watching him all year. Then defensively, he uses his size well, just impacts the games in so many different ways. He changes us and he makes us a better team.”
Brown provided a steadying influence for the Celtics when the Mavs went on a third-quarter run, as Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. At one point, Boston’s lead was cut from 29 points to eight. “We just said, just breathe. The game is starting now. Just breathe,” Brown said. “This is a moment where our experience shines through. Just breathe, just keep playing basketball.” The three-time All-Star made a major impact on both ends of the court, finishing with 22 points (on 7-of-12 shooting), six rebounds, three steals and three blocks in 37 minutes.
Steve Buckley of The Athletic lays out why he believes head coach Joe Mazzulla deserves credit for how the Celtics responded following a timeout when the third-quarter lead was down to eight points. Boston immediately went on a 14-0 run after the break in action. Mazzulla was often criticized last season for the ways in which he used his timeouts, Buckley notes.
Former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, who is now a Maverick, said he thought Boston’s crowd “would be a little louder” following the Game 1 loss, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Irving knows the jeers will continue anytime he’s in Boston, but he’s focused on what he can control on the court. “But again, the energy has to be focused towards the game,” Irving said. “I felt like I had a lot of great looks. They hit (the) back rim or were just a little left or right. Just got to stay confident and stay poised throughout this, man. This is the best time of the year to be playing. There’s only two teams left. Let’s put it in perspective. The environment is going to be what it is but my focus is on our game plan and making sure my guys feel confident and I feel confident and continue to shoot great shots.” Irving finished with just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting in 37 minutes.
ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps, Marc Spears and Kevin Pelton provide their takeaways from Game 1.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Horford, Irving, Tatum

June 1st, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics haven’t offered any indication of whether Kristaps Porzingis will be ready when the NBA Finals open Thursday night, but he appears to be trending in the right direction, writes Matt Vautour of MassLive. Porzingis, who has been sidelined by a calf strain since April 29, was a full participant at Saturday’s practice, although coach Joe Mazzulla clarified that it was a light workout, with a more intense session planned for Sunday.

“He did everything the team did,” Mazzulla told reporters. “We’ll go significantly harder tomorrow. Today was kind of moderate, but he went through everything that the team did today.”

Porzingis’ presence will be important against Dallas, which has gotten stellar performances from its center duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II throughout the playoffs. Mazzulla declined to say if Porzingis will return to a full workload if he’s medically cleared for Game 1.

“He’s a great player. He’s done a lot of great things for us,” he said. “Just like any other guy, you go through what gives us the best chance to win, what gives us the best possible chance to win this series, this game, these matchups. When K.P. is at his best he’s been tremendous for us. We know he’ll give that to us.”

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Celtics players who were part of the NBA Finals team two years ago believe that playoff run will be beneficial this time around, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. In 2022, Boston faced a Golden State squad that had an edge in playoff experience, but now the Celtics will be in that role against Dallas. “I think it is gonna help tremendously, because the first time, it felt like a roller coaster,” Al Horford said. “Just a lot going on. The increased coverage of media and all the responsibilities that we had and just everything that came with it. So I just think that this time around, we all have an understanding. We know what things are like, and I feel like we’ll be able to manage everything better.”
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will be cast in the villain’s role as he returns to Boston with a championship on the line, notes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Irving had an uneasy relationship with the fans during his two seasons as a Celtic, and he infamously stomped on the team’s logo at center court after Brooklyn completed a first-round sweep in 2021.
Those hard feelings don’t carry over to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were Irving’s teammates early in their careers, Vautour adds along with Brian Robb in another MassLive story. Tatum and Brown are both grateful for the guidance Irving provided as they got accustomed to the NBA. “Obviously there were some ups and downs but I think, for me, being a first, second-year player, being around a superstar, essentially, every day and seeing how to navigate that space,” Tatum said. “And then obviously on the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. So it seems like a very long time ago, but I’ve got a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”

Celtics Notes: Finals, Porzingis, Brown, Holiday, Stevens

May 28th, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have lost four Eastern Conference finals and one NBA Finals since drafting Jaylen Brown in 2016, but the veteran wing believes this year’s club is capable of breaking through and being the one that wins a championship, as he told reporters after the C’s secured their spot in the Finals with a win over Indiana on Monday.

“We feel like we’re a different team than we were last year and the year before that,” Brown said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I know everybody wants to continue to kind of pigeonhole us to what was happening in the past but we’ve had a different team every single year, different coaches, we’ve had like three coaches in the last five years. And still people want to make it seem like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same.

“Time has gone by, experience has been gained and I think we are ready to put our best foot forward.”

This year’s version of the Celtics was certainly the best regular season team in recent franchise history, winning 64 games and registering the third-best net rating in NBA history (+11.7). Boston’s critics remain skeptical of the team’s playoff résumé not only due to its past losses but also because the team had a relatively clean path to the NBA Finals. Each of the three opponents the Celtics have beaten so far in the postseason were missing their best player (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, and Tyrese Haliburton) for part or all of the series.

Still, the C’s have handily beaten the opponents in front of them, performing well in clutch situations and recording a league-best +10.8 net rating in the playoffs (Dallas’ net rating, by comparison, is +3.5).

“We feel comfortable in any type of game,” Derrick White said on Monday, per Steve Buckley of The Athletic. “We feel like we have the answers for anything teams throw at us, no matter what the scenario is.”

Here’s more on the Celtics as they prepare for a lengthy layoff before the Finals tip off on June 6:

Will Kristaps Porzingis be ready to return from his right calf injury by the time the Finals begin next Thursday? That’s the hope, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, but it’s not a lock. “There’s definitely optimism. There are still some hurdles, I’m told, that he has to clear before he can play in Game 1 of the Finals,” Charania said on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). “… Porzingis has to make sure he’s 100% healthy. This could, of course, lead to worse injuries if you do end up getting back on the floor sooner than you’re supposed to. But there’s obviously hope the next week-and-a-half he’s able to ramp up and get ready.”
Brown and teammate Jrue Holiday each earned a contract bonus for making the NBA Finals, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter links). Brown has now maxed out his incentives this season, earning a total of $3,321,428 (on top of his $28,508,929 base salary) for a series of individual and team achievements, while Holiday earned an extra $297,600 as a result of the Celtics winning the East. Holiday can further increase his total bonus money for this season if Boston wins the title.
Brown, who made it a goal this season to be an All-Defensive player, admitted he was more disappointed to miss out on that honor than he was not to make an All-NBA team, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. But Brown added that he’s not dwelling on either outcome and knows his own value as a “versatile two-way wing,” which his teammates also recognize. “We ask a lot of him. (On Monday), he started out guarding (Andrew) Nembhard, then he switched up to (Pascal) Siakam, he probably was on (Myles) Turner,” Al Horford said. “He was on different people all over. That versatility is what makes us so tough as a team.” As we detailed in an earlier story, Brown was named the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals.
Brad Stevens‘ aggressive 2023 offseason – which included trading away longtime franchise pillar Marcus Smart in a deal for Porzingis and then making a second blockbuster deal for Holiday – has paid major dividends to this point, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. As Robb observes, the roster was constructed to withstand the absence of a starter like Porzingis, with Holiday and Horford among the players taking on larger offensive roles to make up for that loss.

Jaylen Brown Named Eastern Finals MVP

May 28th, 2024 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was named the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning the Larry Bird trophy for 2024, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Brown narrowly edged out teammate Jayson Tatum, who earned four of nine votes from media members for the honor at the conclusion of Boston’s 4-0 sweep over the Pacers. Brown received the other five votes (Twitter link).

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Brown said of the award, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I don’t ever win s–t. I was just happy we won.”

Brown scored at least 24 points in all four games of the series, including 40 in last Thursday’s Game 2 win and 29 in Monday’s close-out victory. He averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 40.9 minutes per game vs. Indiana, making 51.7% of his shot attempts from the field, including 37.0% of his three-pointers.

“He was unreal this whole series, a complete player on both sides of the ball that you don’t really see much these days,” teammate Derrick White said, according to Vardon.

The NBA instituted MVP awards for the conference finals just three years ago, naming the trophies after Bird in the East and Magic Johnson in the West. Tatum was the first ever Eastern Conference Finals MVP in 2022, while Heat star Jimmy Butler took home the honor last spring.

Celtics Notes: Game 3, Tillman, Tatum

May 26th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Thanks to an impressive comeback from an 18-point deficit, the Celtics were able to improve their Eastern Conference Finals series edge over the Pacers to 3-0 on Saturday, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The decisive moment came when All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday stole the ball from Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard and drew free throws on the other end, helping put Boston up for good. The Celtics would go on to win, 114-111.

After the game, Celtics All-Star shooting guard Jaylen Brown was still reveling in the moment, per Jay King of The Athletic.

“Hang it in the f—ing Louvre,” Brown said of Boston’s winning rally. “Like, it was crazy. We just had a great grit win tonight.”

Brown singled out Holiday for his excellent perimeter defense, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

“Jrue is different,” Brown said. “Nothing really else to say. Jrue is just different.”

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Celtics big man Xavier Tillman, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, helped give Boston a defensive spark off the bench in the Game 3 victory, posting a team-best plus-12 in his 13 minutes of action, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. “He’s a great screener, he creates separation and he has the gift defensively to be able to play both drop and switch,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So we were able to change our coverages when he was out there pretty frequently. He can guard different matchups because of his ability to play and drop and in switch, and so he just gave us some versatility.”
Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum submitted a terrific effort in leading the club to the brink of its second NBA Finals berth in the past three seasons, scoring 36 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out eight dimes without a turnover. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes that Boston’s cohesion as a unit, highlighted by the efforts of Tatum, Holiday and center Al Horford, seems to suggest the team could be ready to finally earn its first title since 2008.
For more on Boston, be sure to check out our Celtics team page.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Kornet, Brissett

May 24th, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After earning All-NBA honors for the first time a year ago as a member of the Second Team, Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown wasn’t included on the 2023/24 All-NBA teams that were announced on Wednesday. Brown responded on Thursday by performing like the best player on the court in Boston’s Game 2 win over Indiana, racking up 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting in 38 minutes of action.

Asked after the game if the All-NBA snub served as extra motivation entering Thursday’s contest, Brown initially responded, “No I wouldn’t say that. I mean, we’re two games from the (NBA Finals). So honestly, I don’t got the time to give a f–k.”

However, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes, when reporters pressed Brown on his thoughts on the All-NBA voting results, the Celtics star admitted to feeling as if not everyone fully appreciates his game.

“I watch guys get praised and anointed who I feel are half as talented as me on either side of the ball,” Brown said. “But at this point in my life, I just embrace it. It comes with being who I am and what I stand for, and I ain’t changing that. I just come out and I’m grateful to step out onto the floor each and every night, put my best foot forward and get better each and every year. Whether people appreciate it or not, it is what it is.”

While Brown didn’t get enough votes from media members to make an All-NBA team this season, his teammates certainly believe he deserved a spot, as Jay King of The Athletic relays.

“I don’t know what they missed, but Jaylen Brown is one of the 15 best players in this game,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “The whole season, both sides of the ball, he just did so much for us to help us win games, which is the meaning of the game. It’s a shame.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Jayson Tatum, who made the All-NBA First Team for a third consecutive year, referred to the honor as “special” and said he doesn’t take it for granted, per Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. “I’m thankful to everybody that’s helped me along the way,” Tatum added. “Success is not something you can achieve by yourself. There’s a lot of people that deserve credit in helping me get to where I’m at.”
In addition to officially ruling out Kristaps Porzingis (calf strain) for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics announced today (via Twitter) that Luke Kornet is considered doubtful to play on Saturday. Kornet sprained his left wrist in Thursday’s victory. Assuming Kornet is unavailable, the Celtics could rely on smaller lineups when Al Horford rests or could turn to backup center Xavier Tillman, who returned on Thursday and played three minutes after missing Game 1 for personal reasons.
With Kornet unavailable for most of Game 3, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave playing time to forward Oshae Brissett, who provided a surprise spark after not playing for nearly two weeks, Robb writes for MassLive.com. Brissett scored just two points in his 12 minutes off the bench, but he recorded three steals and matched Brown’s team-high +18 plus/minus mark. “Just trying to do everything I can to get the win,” Brissett said. “Try to do everything I can to give us some energy. We were playing really well. But going into that time, we could definitely turn things around, positive or negative. So I feel like I did a good job of turning us in the positive way and keeping that energy up.”

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