MY ACCOUNT
It took Jaylen Brown a while to get heated up Monday in his first game in two and a half weeks, but the Boston Celtics liked what they saw once he got going.
Brown returned to the Boston lineup after missing eight games with a right hamstring strain and did his part as the Celtics pulled away from the woeful Houston Rockets in the second half for a 108-90 victory.
Head coach Ime Udoka said before the game that Brown likely would be limited to 24 minutes, and he ended up playing 23, scoring 19 points on six-of-13 shooting from the field.
The 25-year-old guard missed his first three shot attempts before sinking a jumper midway through the first quarter, but he did not show signs of his usual self until the second half.
Midway through the third quarter, Brown embarked on a personal 10-0 run capped by a pair of three-pointers just 24 seconds apart to boost the Boston lead to 72-50.
“He got warm, then got on that flurry in the third quarter,” said Udoka. “To have him back in that third quarter to see what he did was a great sign.”
Udoka said Brown “still doesn’t feel normal, normal” so the team likely will take care to avoid rushing him back to his typical load of about 36 minutes per game.
Any contribution figures to be a positive for the Celtics, who have now won three in a row for the first time this season as Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 30 points Monday.
All of the Celtics’ big-picture plans include Brown as a key piece, though, so seeing him back on the court was a relief.
“Once he was able to get a couple baskets, you could just see that he felt more comfortable with everything and he opened up,” said team-mate Al Horford. “He’s such a good player that he’ll find his way.”
Robert Williams III also returned to the Boston lineup after missing three games with a knee injury. The big man attempted just one shot from the field, and made it, but made his presence felt by racking up 15 rebounds.
