When it comes to the top backcourts in the NBA, you seldom hear about Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown.
That may soon be changing if they have more games like the one they delivered on Saturday as Boston put together a solid second half to pull away from the Atlanta Hawks, 110-99.
Irving had a game-high 30 points which was his second game with at least 30 points scored – both against Atlanta.
MORE:
- Highlights: Celtics beat Hawks to earn 15th straight win
- Heinsohn: Tatum and Brown will be superstars in this league
- Another happy fan goes home with Kyrie's shoes
And Brown, who had a strong 22-point performance in Boston’s win over Golden State on Thursday, was even better against the Hawks in tallying a career-high 27 points.
We all know about Irving who has established himself as one of the NBA’s top guards.
Boston Celtics
But is Brown on the way?
One thing Brown won’t have to develop going forward is, confidence.
He has long maintained that he believes he’ll be among the best in the league. It’s just a matter of him performing at a high level at both ends of the floor, consistently.
“I’ve always had that confidence, I can play with the best in the world,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin following the win over Atlanta which extended Boston’s winning streak to 15 in a row. “It’s just a matter of coming out, doing it. My teammates found me tonight. We had a good team win tonight.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 110-99 win at Atlanta which extended the Celtics’ winning streak to 15 in a row which is the fifth-longest winning streak in franchise history.
STARS
Jaylen Brown
Back in his home state of Georgia, Jaylen Brown delivered another monster game for the Celtics by scoring a career-high 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting with four 3-pointers.
Kyrie Irving
Irving had his most efficient game this season for the Celtics, tallying 30 points on 10-for-12 shooting to go with four rebounds and five assists.
Dennis Schroder
Atlanta’s best scorer delivering a strong 23-point, 9-assist performance for the Hawks.
STUDS
Jayson Tatum
He only had 14 points, but they all came in the third quarter and they included a few crowd-quieting dunks.
John Collins
He came into the league with the reputation of being a high motor player, and he has not disappointed. His hustle and energy led to him tallying 18 points and seven rebounds.
Marcus Morris
When the offense struggled mightily in the first half, it was Morris’ scoring that kept them within striking distance. He finished with 14 points, 10 of which came in the second quarter.
Kent Bazemore
He was Atlanta’s number two scoring option most of the night, and finished with 19 points.
DUDS
Boston’s first quarter defense
The Celtics can’t keep digging themselves these early holes, expecting they will turn it on and find a way to climb out of them. The Hawks led 35-20, fueled in large part by shooting 64.7 percent (11-for-17) in addition to out-rebounding Boston 8-6.