English
Español
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown was arguably the loudest Celtics fan in the building. Whether on the floor or watching from the bench, he was the first to celebrate his teammates during their 114-98 win over the Sixers on Sunday night at TD Garden.
“Tonight was a team win,” Brown said. “Everybody did their part, and when you’re doing that, that makes you a lot more dangerous. I think we’re playing some good basketball, and we just gotta keep it up.”
It was an encouraging carry-over from Friday night’s historically efficient dismantling of the Nets and recent four-game road trip that kept them from reaching 40-before-20 status. Derrick White reclaimed his 3-point touch by knocking down five, Neemias Queta was showered in “MVP” chants, and Baylor Scheierman, playing with a bandaged, fractured left thumb, arguably ignited Brown the most. Scheierman sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half, courtesy of Brown’s assist.
Scheierman immediately looked to Philadelphia’s bench, raising his injured thumb, and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and a block. Listed as questionable on the injury report, he was ruled available just hours before tipoff and suited up, determined to play through the injury. Scheierman wasn’t 100 percent, but he was prepared enough to play through the discomfort and provide a two-way impact.
“He’s always asking me questions on defense and stuff like that, and we’re always talking back and forth,” Brown said.
The toughness a wounded Scheierman brought to the floor was a microcosm of this season’s Celtics. To Brown, their victory over Philadelphia was a clear sign that Boston has its blueprint, and nobody in the locker room needs a refresher course at “Celtic University.”
“I think our identity definitely feels like it’s formulated,” Brown said. “Early in the season, we were trying to figure things out, trying to find an identity with this new group playing large minutes. We started to get going, and then a couple of guys were no longer on the team. Then we get (Nikola) Vučević, so our identity shifts a little bit again. I think we’ve done a good job of being unselfish and playing Celtics basketball.”
Nobody needs to be reminded of their role or when to step up or take a step back. The Celtics have an understanding, and they’ve maintained it through their first 60 games. While Payton Pritchard struggled in a scoreless 27-minute outing off the bench, Queta put on a career night. He scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and even received multiple “MVP” chants at the free-throw line — something he had never experienced before in the NBA.
That performance, too, was a byproduct of the system. The Celtics and their coaches built a refined program tailored to the roster after its offseason roster changes.
Cut three years ago by the Kings, Queta credits Boston’s coaching staff for the biggest leap of his professional career.
“It’s the expectations that they have from you,” Queta said. “They really have a care factor for you as a person. Their ability to go out there every day, demand a lot out of you, and still build a relationship with you outside of basketball — while having your best interests in mind — goes beyond basketball and X’s and O’s on the court.”
The smile on Brown’s face mirrored that of the thousands of Celtics fans in attendance, watching as Queta wrote his masterpiece with assurance.
“It makes your job so much easier out there because they got your back,” Queta said.
When Queta converted his rare up-and-under layup to split past V.J. Edgecombe and Cameron Payne, Brown was among the first to rise to his feet on Boston’s bench. He celebrated and encouraged Queta’s fired-up energy as the Sixers were forced to call a timeout, and Queta secured his double-double with more than seven minutes remaining in the first half. Just one year ago, Queta was Boston’s fourth-string center, overshadowed by Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
What has made this season’s Celtics different from any team Brown has previously been part of is the openness of the stage. On any given night, anyone — regardless of accolades, experience, or salary — can contribute, and that isn’t an exaggeration. Queta had his night, as have players throughout both the starting lineup and the bench, with Mazzulla staying true to his promise to give everyone an at-bat. That approach has allowed Hugo González to emerge as one of the most impactful rookies in his class. It’s helped Jordan Walsh take a meaningful career leap, and before their departures at last month’s trade deadline, it gave Anfernee Simons and Josh Minott opportunities to shine — albeit in different ways — before the end of their respective Celtics stints.
Brown and Queta led Boston in scoring against the Sixers, but there was much more to take away. Brown’s performance reflected his continued growth as a leader, and Queta’s served as a bold stepping stone. Still, the defining element of win No. 40 was how firmly the Celtics leaned into the core principles of their on-brand basketball. That view was shared by both Brown and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
“I thought our ability to get rebounds, I thought our ability to get guys off the free-throw line — especially in the fourth quarter — and then our offensive rebounding gave us extra possessions,” Mazzulla said.
The minor details and hustle plays — often undervalued in real time and in the box score — were what Mazzulla highlighted most. Boston didn’t shoot nearly as well as it did against Brooklyn, finishing only 32.7 percent from three. That’s where those extra efforts mattered most, making the biggest difference and tying back to the team’s DNA more than anything else.
“When you play against a team like this, and you lose two games in the margins, and the difference is four points in three games, that’s what that stuff comes down to,” Mazzulla said. “We handled the end of quarters relatively well, outside of the second quarter, and the margins were big for us, especially with the offensive rebounding.”