The Boston Celtics put together a season’s worth of highlight reel-quality plays on Friday, but none compared to the acrobatic lay-up by Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter when he switched hands in mid-air while being fouled.
Yeah.
It was that good, folks.
And the Celtics?
They were impressive as well, showing no letdown in a 115-95 win over the lowly Lakers following a signature victory on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"We knew it was a big game for us,” Isaiah Thomas told reporters after Friday’s win.
To go from playing the best team in the East (Cleveland) to one of the worst out West (Lakers), the Celtics avoided what many anticipated would be a letdown.
Boston Celtics
But instead of a letdown, it was more of a beat down with the Celtics pulling ahead by as many as 31 points.
And Brown’s play was among the many factors contributing to an impressive Celtics win.
“Jaylen is a great, young athletic player,” Avery Bradley told reporters after the win. “I definitely think he’s going to have a bright future ahead of him. That play, it was a great pass by myself, but it was an even better finish.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Friday night’s game.
STARS
Jaylen Brown
His play stood out for all the right reasons. In addition to solid defense, Brown had a number of highlight-worthy moments as he finished with 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting with eight rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas
It was kind of weird seeing the fourth quarter roll around and see Thomas doing the same thing I was: watching the game. Although he was more than overdue for a night of late-game rest, Thomas still managed to finish with 18 points and eight assists.
Amir Johnson
Home cooking was indeed on the menu for the Los Angeles native. His play set the tone for the Celtics, finishing with 13 points along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
STUDS
Jae Crowder
It was yet another highly efficient game for Crowder, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the first quarter and did it on 4-for-6 shooting to go with six rebounds and three assists.
Avery Bradley
The Celtics’ two-way standout looks to be back to where he was before his Achilles injury. He had 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting with four rebounds and four assists in just under 24 minutes.
Jordan Clarkson
The Lakers showed some fight in the third quarter, and Clarkson’s scoring had a lot to do with that. He finished with 20 points off the bench.
Al Horford
We know about Horford’s ability to get teammates involved offensively, but it was nice to see him look for his offense a little more than we’ve seen recently. He had 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting with four rebounds and three assists.
DUDS
Brandon Ingram
The No. 2 pick in last June’s NBA draft was a total dud on Friday night. He played nearly 26 minutes of scoreless basketball, missing his only two shots from the field.