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The Boston Celtics got a much-needed Christmas Day win at home over their Eastern Conference rival, the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to the game, the Celtics had lost three of their last four games and according to Celtics star Jaylen Brown, the home crowd along with it being Christmas Day played a big factor in getting the win as per Bobby Krivitsky of Sports Illustrated.
Jaylen Brown on #Celtics getting up for this game: "I think that we've had a, I guess a bit of a rough stretch over the last couple weeks…So, to come out here tonight, everybody's watching, holiday spirit, good energy, I think it's the perfect place to shake everything off."
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) December 26, 2022
For most of this season, the Celtics have had the best record not only in the Eastern Conference but in the NBA overall. After their recent stretch where they lost five out of their last seven games, the Bucks had managed to overtake them briefly for the top spot in the league. The Bucks hit a rough stretch of their own and the Celtics were able to surge back into the No. 1 seed in the East. The Christmas Day game was huge for seeding implications and Jaylen Brown along with Celtics co-star Jayson Tatum rose to the occasion to get the win. Coming into the game, the Celtics definitely had this one marked on the calendar.
Tatum put up 41 points on 63.6 percent shooting while Brown added 29 points on 57.9 percent shooting from the field and 5-9 shooting from three-point range. With the win, the Celtics improved their record to 24-10 and increased their lead over the Bucks in the East standings to one and a half games. This was the first meeting between the two Eastern Conference powers and it gives the Celtics the initial tie-breaker.
Coming into the Christmas Day game, Brown was putting up a career-high 26.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point range.
