The Boston Celtics are finding their footing a little bit. Of their past four games heading into their Tuesday night clash against the New York Knicks, all of them came against teams that made it to the playoffs last season. They went 3-1 during that stretch, setting themselves up quite nicely for a matchup against their division rival.

The Celtics did trail by double digits early on as the Knicks came out of the gates firing. But this veteran Boston squad knows that there's a lot of ballgame left to play. Jaylen Brown, in particular, made it his mission to set the tone for his team on both ends of the court.

In the second quarter, with the Celtics mounting a furious rally from 14 down, Brown took it upon himself to drive the ball down the heart of the lane in transition to fly for a monster two-handed jam over the late contest of Jordan Clarkson to give Boston the lead.

This ferocious slam helped breathe plenty of life into a Celtics team that has since built a double-digit lead themselves. They've turned the tables on the Knicks in a game that certainly means so much more to them considering that it was New York that sent them packing from the playoffs last season.

Brown has been brilliant in leading the Celtics' attack on Tuesday, and this has to continue for Boston to hold off the Knicks. There is no Jayson Tatum for Boston, so the onus is on Brown to lead his team to victory amid one of their most difficult stretches of the early season.

Article Continues Below

It's the Jaylen Brown show for the Celtics in Boston

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
© Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

At the time of writing, Brown has 29 points to lead all scorers. Only one other Celtics player has scored in double figures, so that will have to change if they were to go on and win the ballgame.

On the season, the Celtics have an 11-9 record, which is solid considering the roster turnover they went through this past offseason. They have been playing noticeably better basketball as of late, and getting this win over the Knicks should aid their playoff hopes for this season.