Joe Mazzulla on Jailen Brown text causing 50-piece vs Clippers

After that Boston Celtics held off the Sacramento Kings for a 120-106 win on Thursday night, they had to catch a flight. But instead of relaxing on the plane, Celtics star Jaylen Brown has already thought about how he’s going to pursue the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.

Before taking off to LA — the last city the C’s would visit on their five-game road trip — Brown sent a message to the Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla that he wanted to guard the Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonardvia NBC Sports Boston.

“He texted me on the plane in Sacramento,” Macula recalled during his postgame press conference. “I thought it was great, just a representation of … what he does.”

Brown was clearly not happy with the win in Sacramento. And he wasn’t forced to rest immediately after his fourth away game in seven days. Instead, he envisioned the Celtics’ next challenge and how they would translate the Green Team.

Even though the Clippers had won six straight games before facing the C’s, Brown and company were undeterred. In fact, with the longest tenure Celtic dominated, tying a career high with 50 points while locking down Leonard on the other side of the ball.

Jaylen Brown in the win over the Clippers:

– 50 points (equal in career) in 35 min.
– 69% from the floor (18-26 FY)
– 60% from deep
– 5 assists
– 2 turns pic.twitter.com/Mu53NzBOI1

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 4, 2026

Saturday marked the first time Brown has scored 50 points in regulation and just the fifth time in the last 15 years that the Celtics have dropped the 50-pointer without needing overtime. His stellar two-way performance and Boston’s impressive shooting overall helped the Celtics beat the red-hot Clippers, 146-115, at the Intuit Dome.

“I thought his defense was great, from start to finish,” praised Macula. “I thought it was one of the most complete games I’ve seen him play.”

Through 32 games, Brown is holding opponents for 39.37% shoot as the closest defender, according to GeniusIK. That’s the second-best mark among the 111 players who have saved at least 300 shot attempts this season.

As for how Brown fared against Leonard, the Clippers vet poured in 22 points in 34 minutes of action while missing 11 of his 17 shots from the floor. Leonard averaged 44.3 points in his previous three outings.

Macula, literally, appreciated Brown’s efforts.

“I just thanked him,” Macula said after the Celtics’ seventh win in their last eight games. “It was an honor that as a coach I could watch such a performance.

Since it is The New York Knicks fell to the Philadelphia 76ers just hours before the Celtics wrapped up their victory, the Green Team is now less than a game behind the second-seeded New Yorkers in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston will have a chance to move into second place with a Knicks loss and a home win Monday night against the Chicago Bulls.