In the classic 1994 comedy film, Jim Carrey puts on a mask that gives him special powers. In the 2023 NBA playoffs, Jaylen Brown seemingly had the same effect after removing his.
With nine minutes left in the second period, and having only scored two points, Brown emerged from a timeout without the protective mask he has worn since fracturing his cheekbone in February.
He went on to finish with 31 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-121 at State Farm Arena to go 3-1 up in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
"I was talking to [Marcus] Smart when JB took his mask off and was like, 'Oh, s***. It's go time,'" Celtics guard Jayson Tatum said, who also put up 31 points. "I knew he was going to turn it up a notch."
Brown had scored just one from seven field-goal attempts prior to taking off his mask, going on to net 11 from 15 after that.
"Maybe it was all in my head, but I just needed a different look," Brown said. "As soon as I took it off, things started to turn around a little bit."
It was an astonishing turn in form from Brown, who is averaging 23.3 points per game in the playoffs so far.
"I've just started getting comfortable with it since I've been wearing it," he added about the mask. "When I first put it on, I didn't like it too much, and I had to wear it.
"I just needed something different [on Sunday]. I don't know what it was: Change my shoes, wipe my hands off, take the mask off, whatever it is I needed to do, I needed to do to help our team get a win, and that's what I was trying to do."
The Celtics can clinch the series in Game 5 when they return to TD Garden on Tuesday.
'That's why he's MVP!' – Embiid's 50-point night powers 76ers
Joel Embiid was praised for an "effortless" shooting performance after he led the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-126 victory over the Washington Wizards with a season-high 50 points.
The reigning NBA MVP, who also grabbed 13 rebounds, hit the 50-point mark for the sixth time in his career on Wednesday.
Washington (3-17) was in with a chance of an upset as they led in the fourth quarter but the 76ers prevailed to improve to 13-7 on the season with a key road win.
Embiid was 19 of 24 from the floor and 11 of 13 from the foul line. He also had seven assists and six turnovers in just over 38 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and De'Anthony Melton chipped in with 19 as Philadelphia averted a third straight loss.
"I felt like it was one of those nights where I had to be aggressive and get it going," Embiid said after the game.
"Sometimes your team needs you to be a playmaker, but sometimes they need you to score.
"But they made passes, they made the right plays every single time and I just finished them."
Melton felt it was a game that showed how important Embiid is to the team, with the 76ers now set to play three of their next four games at home, including another clash with the Wizards on Monday.
"That's why he's the MVP," Melton said. "He's our safety valve – offensively and defensively.
"He covers up for a lot of our mistakes defensively and then offensively he can bail us out late and make some shots.
"He was just going out there effortlessly shooting the ball and scoring."
Philadelphia is fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and are next in action at home to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Doncic has triple-double in 1st half in Mavericks' rout
Luka Dončić notched a triple-double by halftime and finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in three quarters in the Dallas Mavericks’ 147-97 rout of the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Doncic grabbed a rebound with 71 seconds left in the first half and assisted on Dereck Lively II’s dunk 12 seconds later to complete the 60th triple-double of his career. That moved him past Larry Bird into sole possession of ninth on the career list.
The Dallas superstar had the first 25-point first-half triple-double in NBA history. Doncic shot 14 of 25 from the field and was 6 of 12 from long range.
Kyrie Irving added 26 points for Dallas, which had its highest-scoring game of this season and came up two points shy of the highest-scoring game ever in regulation.
Ochai Agbaji scored 21 points for the Jazz, who played without top scorers Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) and Jordan Clarkson (thigh).
Grizzlies’ Bane goes off as Pistons lose again
Desmond Bane poured in 32 of his career-high 49 points in the second half and the Memphis Grizzlies sent the Detroit Pistons to their 18th straight loss, 116-102.
Detroit’s streak is the longest single-season run in franchise history and the longest in the NBA since the Houston Rockets’ 20-game slide in 2020-21. The Philadelphia 76ers hold the NBA record with a 26-game drought in 2013-14.
Bane shot 19 of 31 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range while sinking all seven free-throw attempts. He added eight assists and six rebounds.
The Pistons held a 69-61 lead midway through the third quarter, but Bane scored the next seven points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points for Detroit, which was outscored 34-18 in the fourth quarter.
Embiid drops 50 in 76ers’ win
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 50 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-126 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Embiid hit the 50-point mark for the sixth time in his career, falling nine points short of his career best set on Nov. 13, 2022, against Utah.
He was 19 of 24 from the floor with a 3-pointer on two attempts and 11 of 13 from the foul line. He also had seven assists and six turnovers in just over 38 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points as the 76ers averted a third straight loss.
Durant refuses to pin Suns defeat to Lakers on controversial timeout
Kevin Durant did not look to use a contentious timeout call as an excuse after the Phoenix Suns slipped to a 106-103 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns were left furious after the referee elected to call a timeout following LeBron James' call, when the ball appeared to be loose, late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's in-season tournament quarter-final.
With 15 seconds remaining, Davin Booker dispossessed Austin Reaves, with James swiftly requesting a timeout, which was granted.
Suns coach Frank Vogel fumed: "It's a loose ball, and you can't call a timeout on a loose ball.
"The whistle blows. I don't know why. Everything in the league is reviewable. I don't know why that can't be reviewable.
"We've got the trap, we've got the turnover, [and the] damn whistle blows. It's just frustrating."
Durant, though, did not share his coach's anger.
"That's not the ballgame," said Durant, who led the Suns with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
"That's one play. It's a 48-minute game. I don't like to complain about calls.
"Sometimes the ref isn't going to get it right all the time. Sometimes it's on us to play through all that stuff and not worry about putting the game in the ref's hands."
Reaves added: "There was no call, and LeBron made a high-IQ play he's made a million times.
Vogel did, however, echo Durant's sentiment that the Suns did not do enough to win the tie and progress to Las Vegas.
"We didn't do enough early in the game," Vogel said. "The turnovers and on the glass, if we do a better job, we're not talking about a close game like that."
The Lakers will now face the New Orleans Pelicans for a place in the final of the inaugural in-season tournament, with the winner taking home the NBA Cup.
"You've got some of the most alpha male competitors in the world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful or an incentive, then you get what you're getting," said James, who finished with 31 points and 11 assists.
"The in-season tournament is what it is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national television, represent our families, our communities, where we come from."
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