Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown didn't have huge scoring totals in Tuesday night's win over the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden, but the Boston Celtics' superstar duo got the job done in another impactful way.
Both of these All-Stars were able to shut down Clippers superstar Paul George in Boston's 117-112 win. The veteran forward needed to carry the Clippers offensively after Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch from the lineup due to back spasms.
George finished with 32 points, but he struggled mightily when defended by Tatum and Brown. He was particularly ineffective in the fourth quarter when guarded by Tatum and Brown, hitting none of his six shot attempts.
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ESPN Stats & Info shared a great graphic with some stats that illustrated Brown and Tatum's dominance over George:
Both playaers were excellent defensively, especially when matched up against George. That's very encouraging for the C's because you want to see your best players find other ways to contribute when it's not going great offensively.
Tatum scored just 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Brown was hot to begin the game with 12 first-quarter points but finished with 18 overall.
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Tatum and Brown both emerging as two-way stars is a great sign for the Celtics' future, and they will need to continue this strong defensive effort if Boston is going to make another deep playoff run in the spring.