Jaylen Brown’s role has changed, but on Sunday his job was to take over the Celtics’ offense - The Boston Globe (2024)

When the Celtics were eliminated from the In-Season Tournament with a quarterfinal loss to the Pacers, they returned home for a five-game stretch that figured to provide challenges, comforts, and answers.

This small segment ended Sunday with a 114-97 romp against the Magic, giving Boston a 5-0 mark against a collection of likely playoff teams. Coach Joe Mazzulla has stressed that these games must help the team build toward its bigger goals. And after this win that improved the team’s home record to 14-0, he sounded pleased with the progress.

“I think we’re starting to play what I would call ‘Celtics basketball,’ ” Mazzulla said. “From a mentality standpoint, from a toughness standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, and identity, reflecting what it means to play like the Celtics. I think this week we’ve shown that, and I think the crowd has helped that, and I think our players really working to execute and buying in have helped that.”

Perhaps no one has been asked to buy in more than forward Jaylen Brown. Just months after being named second-team All-NBA and signing the richest contract in league history, Brown found his role as a scorer reduced thanks to the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

His field-goal, 3-point and free-throw percentages have all dipped, along with his shots per game and scoring average. But he has been working to figure out how to best fit without being a disruption.

On Sunday, Brown provided a reminder that he can be a dominant offensive player. He made 12 of 20 shots and tallied 31 points — 17 in the fourth quarter — and 6 assists.

“On this team, it’s a lot clearer that I don’t need to score 30 points a game,” Brown said. “That would be great, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can put the ball in the cup and are playing well. So making sure I make the right plays and the right reads [has] helped me see the game a lot differently than before.”

In recent years, the Celtics tended to unravel when Jayson Tatum went to the bench. But his absences have gone more smoothly this season. Sunday was the latest example, with Brown leading the way.

Boston led by 3 when Tatum picked up his third foul on a charge with 8:07 left in the second quarter. He went to the bench for the rest of the half and Brown scored or assisted on five consecutive baskets. A 3-pointer by Holiday, who had 14 first-half points, gave the Celtics a 61-46 lead, their largest to that point.

“I think we’ve gotten to a good place [where] each unit knows what their strengths are,” Mazzulla said. “We have certain play calls for each unit, we are well organized as far as who we are attacking, and guys are just making plays.”

Tatum received more scheduled rest at the start of the fourth quarter, and Brown soared once again, scoring or assisting on the Celtics’ first eight field goals of the quarter.

“He just went off,” Porzingis said.

Brown has made at least 50 percent of his field goals in six consecutive games. Prior to this run, he had not reached that mark more than twice in a row this season.

Mazzulla said the Celtics lost some of their poise on offense during the third quarter. But he viewed it as a sign of progress that it did not affect the intensity of the defense. Then the fourth quarter began, and Brown ensured that both areas would be in lockstep for the finish.

“So I think that the key is just not living in those bad spaces for too long,” Mazzulla said. “Knowing that you’re not going to avoid them, but you just can’t stay there as long, and you’ve got to get out of them quickly. So the guys do a good job of doing that.”

Entering this two-game weekend set, the Celtics had lost their last four games to the Magic, including a 17-point blowout in Orlando last month. This team has lost just once since then. These back-to-back demolitions of the Magic appeared to send a message.

On Sunday, the Magic were held to 38.2 percent shooting, and the final result ensured that forward Paolo Banchero’s 36-point, 10-rebound game would be just a footnote.

Porzingis said that last month’s Magic loss highlighted some minor flaws, and refocusing on the details has led to this surge that has given Boston the best record in the NBA.

“It’s very hard,” Porzingis said. “We might not have the best night, but we could still compete with everybody. Once we have those moments where we just click, and, boom, some guy goes off, no matter who it is, it’s just so hard to stop us.”

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.