BOSTON • There are few National Basketball Association (NBA) players who have a hotter hand than Jaylen Brown.
On Friday, the third-year wing posted a joint career-high 42 points against the 76ers. On Sunday, he scored 33 points against Cleveland in just 19 minutes and 14 seconds on the TD Garden court.
"That's crazy," Brown told celtics.com after becoming the first NBA player to score more than 30 points while playing fewer than 20 minutes, bettering Kevin Durant's 30 points in 19 minutes set on Dec 18, 2014.
"I just wanted to win."
He got that too - with the Celtics ripping up the top-ranked defence in the Eastern Conference with a 141-103 rout.
It was Brown's seventh consecutive 20-point showing and his 13th in 15 games this campaign.
The 24-year-old displayed efficiency, making 13 of 20 shots from the field - three of four three-pointers - and all four from the free-throw line.
"He's in a great rhythm scoring," said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. "He's making great physical drives, he's making open catch-and-shoot shots also with really tough shots sprinkled in.
"He's constantly working to improve, he doesn't play passive, and his skill, his aggressiveness, and his improvement are a great combination."
Guard Kemba Walker had a season-high 21 points, Carsen Edwards scored 18 points, Daniel Theis added 17 and Marcus Smart had 12 with five steals as the Celtics (9-6) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Smart, 26, also dished five of his nine assists to Brown and they lead the league in both assists-to-field goals (38) and assists-to-points (90).
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Points Jaylen Brown scored against Cleveland, the most anyone has while playing fewer than 20 minutes.
"His patience and poise when he has the ball," Smart said of his 24-year-old teammate's improvement.
"He's one of the best young players in this game and doing what he's doing - and doing what he's doing for this team."
Collin Sexton had 13 points to lead the Cavaliers, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. Cleveland (8-8) turned the ball over 17 times with Sexton responsible for six.
In Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard ensured the Los Angeles Clippers extended their season-high NBA winning run to seven games.
He scored a game-high 34 points in their 108-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Leonard shot 14 of 24 from the floor and finished with nine rebounds and eight assists, while Ivica Zubac came off the bench to score 10 points and grab 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who beat Oklahoma City for the second time in three days.
Serge Ibaka tallied 17 points, Reggie Jackson finished with 14 and Paul George scored 11 for the Clippers, who matched the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the league at 13-4.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
