One of the major storylines during the early parts of the Celtics season involved Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and whether they could co-exist with one another. ‘Break up the Jays!’ some fans, analysts and podcasters shouted with certainty from the mountaintops.
Well, it all seems pretty silly now doesn’t it?
Tatum and Brown dominated once more as the Celtics won their third straight game dismantling the Denver Nuggets 124-120.
Brown and Tatum each pumped in 30 points on a combined 23 for 36 from the floor. One night earlier Tatum scored 32 points and Brown 30 in a 29-point blowout win over Sacramento.
The Celtics have won 22 of 25. Brown for one things the best is still yet to come.
“It took a little time to figure things out,” Brown said after the game. “And we’ve still got a lot of improvement, so don’t — yeah, just wait.”
Through 47 games the Celtics were 23-and-24. They are now 44-28 and a virtual tie with Philadelphia for third place in the NBA East at 44-28.
“We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, stay healthy, and then the sky is the limit,” Brown said. “Beyond the sky, to be honest.”
Say Hey Ray
Tatum passed Ray Allen in Celtics all-time 3-point leaders. This makes him the third leading Celtic in 3 pointers made.
“Anytime you break a record, it’s a big accomplishment,” Tatum told Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston, “Ray Allen is one of the top five shooters of all time,” “so yeah, that means a lot.”
Tatum connected on 6 of 10 shots from 3-point range giving him 101 for his career behind only Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker in team history. Tatum should be able to pass Walker (937) sometime next season but it’s going to take some time to catch the Truth who amassed 1,823 over the course of his Celtics’ career.
30-30 Club
The “Jays” both scored 30 points to win over the Nuggets. They are now the second pair of Celtic teammates to each score at least 30 points in back-to-back games. Last pair to do it? Hall of famers Larry Bird and Kevin McHale back in 1988.
“Jayson is continuing to be aggressive, and I’m being myself,” Brown said, “We’re continuing to be ourselves and playing the game the right way. We’re getting good team wins and take what the game gives you.”
MVP Favorite?
Even though the game was held in Denver, many Celtics fans were in attendance. The Celtics were dominating throughout the whole game, and the fans were chanting “let’s go Celtics!” Chants of “MVP” also reigned down in response to Tatum. This coming from the home of the reigning and current favorite for MVP Nikola Jokic.
“It’s a great feeling,” Tatum said, “you expect to get that [MVP chants] at home but, when you travel and see all the Celtics jerseys, that’s an incredible feeling.”
