Malcolm Brogdon is still getting the hang of coming off the bench. The seventh-year veteran had basically been a career starter before being traded to the Boston Celtics over the summer, forcing his way into the starting lineup as a rookie and opening every game he played for the Indiana Pacers since 2018-19.
Still, it's hardly surprising a player like Brogdon rose to the occasion when Boston coach Joe Mazzulla challenged his team's reserves before Thursday's highly anticipated matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The result? Not just one of the Celtics' best all-around wins of the season, but 43 total bench points, including a team-high 15 from Brogdon, who also grabbed three rebounds, doled out four assists and went 3-of-5 from deep.
“I think we needed to really step up,” he told CLNS Media. “I think that’s every facet of the game, whether it’s making shots, defending better, coming in and filling the gaps,” he added. “I thought we answered the call tonight.”
“A lot of the time we feed off of the energy of the first group, and when they come out flat or [are] not making shots, it’s our job to come in and pick them up,” Brogdon continued. “I think when we don’t, we’re not doing our job. So we’ve just got to be more consistent with that regardless of how the first group comes out.”
Boston's 124-95 victory moves it to 27-12, the best record in the NBA and one-and-a-half games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for first in the East. The Celtics are back in action on Saturday against the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs.
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