MILWAUKEE – Jaylen Brown has used the playoffs as his own personal coming out party, letting the world know that he’s more than equipped for the pressure that comes with the playoffs.
As good as Brown was individually on Sunday, it still wasn’t enough as the Celtics lose a nail-biter 104-102 after having trailed by as many as 20 points earlier in the game.
Brown finished with a career-high 34 points, the second time in this series the 21-year-old scored at least 30 points in a game.
“He was the only reason we were in the game in the first (half),” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “In the second (half), he just continued it.”
Said Brown: “My teammates found me in open spots, and I was hitting shots. That’s it.”
Brown downplaying his career night scoring the ball is consistent with how he has treated other big games in the past.
If it doesn’t result in a win, he’s not going to make a big deal about it.
Boston Celtics
“Now it’s on to Game 5,” Brown said. “And we’ll keep moving forward.”
Here are the Stars, Studs, and Duds from Boston’s 104-102 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks which evens the best-of-seven series up at two games apiece.
STARS
Jaylen Brown: Brown had another strong game for the Celtics, scoring a career-high 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting to go with eight rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: It was yet another efficient scoring game for Antetokounmpo who led the Bucks with 27 points that included a game-winning tip-in with 5.1 seconds to play.
STUDS
Khris Middleton: The Bucks continue to put Middleton in position to an effective, highly efficient scorer. He had 23 points in Game 4 on 8-for-14 shooting.
Jayson Tatum: The 20-year-old rookie was a different player for the Boston Celtics when he returned to the floor for the start of the third quarter. Tatum tallied 21 points for the game, 18 of which came in the second half.
Jabari Parker: After being of little use in Games 1 and 2, Parker has found his stroke and with that, his confidence as a scoring difference-maker. He once again led the Milwaukee bench players, scoring 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Thon Maker: He continues to play the role of a 3-and-D guy, although not quite how we’ve seen it in the past. The 7-footer had eight points which included a pair of 3-pointers. In addition, he blocked a game-high five shots.
DUDS
Terry Rozier: He had 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting, with a number of those misses being open to lightly contested shots. Boston needs everyone to step their play up in Game 5, including Rozier who was arguably Boston’s best player in Games 1 and 2.