Jaylen Brown spent Christmases growing up visiting family in Michigan, watching NBA games, shoveling away snow and mimicking the best moves from players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James that day.
Today, kids might head outside and imitate Brown.
Brown scored 30 points to lead the Celtics to a 118-102 win over the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday. Boston snapped the Raptors’ 34-game home winning streak against Atlantic Division teams – the longest such intra-division streak in NBA history. The Celtics had lost eight straight in Toronto.
“To get a win here on Christmas is like the perfect present,” said Brown, who shot 5-of-6 on 2-pointers and 5-of-7 on 3-pointers.
Brown wasn’t the only Celtic to cherish playing in this game and make the most of it. In eight years with the Hornets, Kemba Walker never played on Christmas. Today, he scored 22 points, his long-range shooting key to Boston gaining separation. Enes Kanter, appreciative to travel to Toronto, cleaned up inside with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raptors finally got their desired Christmas game. They just weren’t equipped to compete on this level.
Toronto hosted today by virtue of its 2019 NBA championship. But not only did the Raptors since lose Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in free agency, several key players – Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell – are sidelined.