NBA Top Five Performances, March 26: Jaylen Brown’s 41-Point Performance Inched Boston Celtics Closer to No. 1 Seed

The Boston Celtics are closing the gap on the Milwaukee Bucks.

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY:

The Boston Celtics lost three straight to start to start the month, causing some to question to their status as an NBA Finals contender. 

Now, they are back to being in the mix for the No. 1 seed after Jaylen Brown’s 41-point performance en route to a blowout win against the San Antonio Spurs. Brown also collected 13 rebounds to contribute to Boston’s 61.

The Spurs may be an underwhelming opponent but the Celtics handled their business to win in convincing fashion. In addition, Brown had this superstar performance in the absence of his co-star Jayson Tatum. The Celtics are only 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for first place in the Eastern Conference.

“When you get the opportunity to be the guy that everybody's leaning on, it's a privilege,” Brown said. “So I don't take those moments for granted. I come out each night, I strap my shoes up and get my guys ready to go.”

OTHERS:

- Despite the loss, Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges had 44 points on 6 of 9 shooting from 3-point range against the Orlando Magic. Bridges is experiencing a renaissance in Brooklyn, averaging 25.8 points since being traded.

- Ja Morant had 27 points in the Memphis Grizzlies’ victory against the Atlanta Hawks to extend the team’s win streak to six.

- Jarrett Allen’s 24-point double-double helped the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Houston Rockets and clinch their first playoff berth since 2018.

- Zach LaVine’s 32-point performance contributed to the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers, spoiling LeBron James’ return after a month-long injury absence.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.