No Tatum? No Problem for Brown, Celtics

Jayson Tatum (hip bruise) was out Sunday, but it didn't matter. Jaylen Brown (41 points) and the C's were up to the task without him to win a third straight, and seventh in the last nine games.

BOSTON – For most of this season, Jaylen Brown has played with the kind of pressure-free freedom most high-scoring NBA players would love to have. 

No matter how well he performed going into the game, rarely would he be at the top of the opposing team’s scouting report. 

That spot is reserved for Jayson Tatum; unless it’s one of the rare occasions when he doesn’t play, which was exactly where things stood on Sunday evening with Tatum out due to a hip bruise. 

And just like that, for this night, it was Jaylen Brown’s team.