6 takeaways as Celtics bust Cavaliers and Jaylen Brown makes history

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The Boston Celtics tore the Cleveland Cavaliers 141-103 on Sunday, shattering a disheartening three-game losing streak.

Six takeaways as the Celtics returned to the win column.

Jaylen Brown made the game easy.

Sometimes when a player leaves you can see how difficult the game is. Other times, a player looks so dominant individually that it makes the defense look almost nonexistent.

Brown’s performance on Sunday was the last. After a good start, Brown made the Cleveland defense (which we’ll get to in a minute) stupid. He drove straight to the rim several times in the half and transition sets and converted the layup after the layup. When the Cavaliers finally closed the lane, Brown started splashing the middle and long range Cavaliers. As The Athletic’s Jay King noted, Brown became the first player in NBA history to score 33 points in 19 minutes or less.

If Jaylen Brown is no longer playing after checking at the end of the third, he will become the first player of the @bball_ref database (dating from 1983-84) to get at least 33 points in 19 minutes or less. Paul George (37 points), Kiki Vandeweghe (36) did it in 20 minutes.

– Jay King (@ByJayKing) 25 January 2021

Brown’s All-Star bid is anything but fate at this point. What else can he gain?

The Celtics have wiped out a top defense.

After losing back-to-back games to the Sixers last week, Brad Stevens has given his players a wake-up call.

“We’re not going to win a game with the squad we have, giving up 122 points,” Stevens said. “And until we really commit to it – and again, that might not change the outcome in either of these games, but until we really commit to it.” meaning, I don’t see us being competitive in the long term.

The Celtics responded on Sunday, locking up an attack from the Cavaliers that beat the Brooklyn Nets twice in a row last week. Interestingly, however, it was the Boston offense that did most of the work. The Celtics eluded a group from Cleveland who had the fifth best defensive rating in the NBA heading into Sunday’s game.

The Cavaliers’ defensive numbers were probably a bit boisterous – with all credit, their top five players aren’t elite defenders. Still, so far into the season, the Celtics have scored 141 points against a much improved defensive team.

Aaron Nesmith needs to see some shots.

The Celtics rookie got a few minutes in the second quarter as the Celtics took a big lead and went 1 for 3 behind the arc. One of his attempts was an aerial balloon. Another looked very uncomfortable.

Nothing puts a shooter off the beat like irregular minutes, and Nesmith’s minutes have been very irregular. In the second half, Nesmith looked more comfortable burying two 3-pointers, and he showed little flashes of his game beyond the single point shot, which is an encouraging sign.

Still, if the Celtics are hopeful that Nesmith can contribute this season (an open question at this point), it might help to give him real minutes. Rhythm matters a bit.

Carsen Edwards lost 18 points. What should we do with it?

Don’t take too much away from the sheer numbers of Edwards’ big night, most of which went into the trash. He’s a consistent goalscorer sometimes even when he gets consistent minutes, and the game was decided when he started scoring.

Much more important to Edwards: he seems to have won the trust of Brad Stevens. Earlier this season, Stevens noted that Edwards was one of the players who impressed with the effort and tenacity in practice.

Edwards also showed a much improved layup package which is crucial for him. He must be able to score even if he is not white-hot from 3 points. Reducing defense and showing some contact would be huge.

The double-large range was great (don’t expect it to continue).

If the Celtics were up against the Cavaliers every night, perhaps the double big roster – beaten by 19.8 points per 100 possessions this season before Sunday’s game – could have recovered their numbers. Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson finished +32 and +34 in their minutes respectively, which was a big boost against a ton-sized Cleveland side.

Still, successful play is probably not enough to make this duo stand out consistently, especially with Jayson Tatum’s return imminent.

Kemba Walker will not play the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

The Celtics face the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back Sunday. According to post-game Brad Stevens, Kemba Walker shouldn’t be playing. The full Celtics star set will have to wait.