Celtics’ rout of Warriors was a ‘mindset win’ – NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics have responded well to losses all season long, and Monday’s game vs. the Golden State Warriors was no exception.

After falling to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime Saturday, the C’s started their four-game West Coast road trip with an emphatic 125-85 victory. The win brought them to 12-1 this season after a loss with an average margin of victory of 21.7 points, according to WEEI’s Justin Turpin.

After the Celtics’ win over the Warriors, Jaylen Brown spoke about the team’s mentality heading into the matchup.

“We’ve just got to fight,” he told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “We’ve just got to fight to get a win. It’s the NBA, it’s tough to get a win each and every night. Coming off a long flight, tough game, overtime, we just wanted to come out as a team and do it together.”

It’s been a rough stretch for the reigning champions. Boston entered Monday’s game with an 8-8 record over its last 16 games. Perhaps the midseason malaise is nothing to worry about, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr asserted before the matchup, but it’s been difficult to ignore some of the red flags that have appeared over the last month.

Heading out west after the brutal loss to Atlanta presented another stiff test for the C’s, and they passed with flying colors.

“Tonight was just a mindset win,” Brown said. “Our bodies not feeling great, overtime, long flight, early game, nobody made an excuse. We just come out and just tried to put our best foot forward.”

Brown played a key role in the win, notching 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding four rebounds and two assists. He also took on the challenge of guarding Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who finished with 18 points on a modest 6-for-16 from the floor (4-13 3-PT).

The 2024 NBA Finals MVP hasn’t looked like himself at points this month, but he stepped up to lead the bounce-back effort. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spoke after the game about handling players who are going through struggles and how he attempts to get them back on the right track.

“One, you trust them,” Mazzulla said. “You trust the work that they’ve put in their career. You trust the work they put in daily. I think that’s a huge part of that. These guys go through so much on and off the court.

“So, it’s a lot of trust, just seeing the way he carries himself, and I think it’s my job to (ask), ‘Hey, how can I put you in better situations?’ So, I think it’s a high level of communication that you try to have, and just whatever they need, you try to make sure us as a staff and team can put them in the best position.”

Brown and the C’s will look to duplicate Monday’s performance when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Tip-off for that matchup is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.