Jaylen Brown pointed to shot-making and execution as the main reasons behind the Boston Celtics’ 111-89 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night at TD Garden.
Boston generated open looks but converted only 7 of 41 attempts from three-point range, and Brown said the process was not the issue. “I think it was that I think we created a bunch of open looks,” Brown said. “We just got to step in with confidence and knock them down.”
The All-Star wing finished with a team-high 26 points, but the Celtics never recovered after New York closed the third quarter on a 20-7 run. “We didn’t make today happens,” Brown said. “They made shots and I think that was the difference.”
Jalen Brunson’s 31-point night set the tone for the Knicks, and Brown acknowledged Boston allowed the guard to find rhythm early. “Let him get a couple free throws to kind of get going,” Brown said. “But just communication stuff I think could have helped a little bit.”
Brown also cited ongoing adjustments following recent lineup changes, including the addition of Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline. “We still adjusting,” he said. “We got some changes that made to our lineup so, you know, we still figuring things out.”
Despite shooting below 20% from deep for much of the game, Brown said the Celtics did not want to abandon their offense. “You also want to take what the defense gives you,” he said. “You don’t want to force things too much.”
Brown said he tried to apply pressure at the rim when the perimeter shots were not falling. “At times I tried to get to the basket,” he said. “But you got to trust your teammates and trust the process.”
Boston’s new lineup combinations remain a work in progress, particularly with Vucevic finding his role. “We want Vuc to be a little bit more aggressive,” Brown said. “We need him to be aggressive.”
Brown also addressed frustration with offensive fouls called on his jump shots, calling for consistency. “If I go up into my normal shot motion, if his face is there or not, that’s on him,” Brown said. “I disagree, but I’ve sent we sent clips into the league.”
Defensively, Brown pointed to New York’s off-ball movement as another challenge. “We didn’t do a great job in handling those cutters,” he said. “I think Bridges got a bunch of easy layups.”
Despite the lopsided score, Brown said the Celtics focused on positives such as rebounding and ball security. “We didn’t turn the ball over a lot,” he said. “We rebounded well.”
Still, Brown made clear what ultimately decided the outcome. “Scoring 89 points, not going to get it done,” he said. “We got to figure out how to put that ball in the cup.”
Boston fell into a tie with New York at 34-19 in the Eastern Conference standings, with the teams set to meet again April 9 at Madison Square Garden.
