Joe Mazzulla 'grateful' for Golden State's defensive strategy against Jaylen Brown

Mar 3, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes in for a dunk during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday afternoon the Boston Celtics routed the visiting Golden State Warriors in a historic 140-88 victory. Boston’s offense was locked and loaded from the jump, putting the Warriors in a big deficit early on. This, in part, was aided by a very specific defensive approach from Golden State.

In the first quarter the Warriors sagged off of Jaylen Brown, giving the All-NBA forward plenty of space to operate on offense. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said afterward his team wanted to try to close off driving lanes and lock down the paint. This strategy left little defensive pressure on Jaylen Brown, who took 12 field goals in the opening frame, and finished the first with 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Following the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked if he noticed the unique defensive scheme.

“Yeah,” Mazzulla said plainly. “We were really grateful for that.”

Celtics dismantle Warriors 140-88 in historic rout https://t.co/TSPVIR0qpc pic.twitter.com/WIVG3cLZnw

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) March 3, 2024

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Joe Mazzulla ‘grateful’ for Golden State’s defensive strategy against Jaylen Brown