Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown Praise Boston Celtics Fan Favorite for Solid Performance in Game 1 Win Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White took the headlines, as they had 32 and 25 points, respectively. However, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also gave a shoutout to their bench for making meaningful contributions to the victory.

“(Kornet), Payton, X, Sam — those guys had great minutes,” said Mazzulla via Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. “Obviously, Luke started it off. You can’t be a good team unless those guys win you games, and they’ve all played a huge part in winning games. Whether it’s four (games) in five nights, back-to-backs — doesn’t matter, they bring it. It’s important to have guys like that.”

“I thought Luke was exceptional when he came in,” Brown added about Luke Kornet. “He was great. He came in, he added value to the second group, he contested shots at the rim, he rebounded and he made timely plays on offense. He’s had some injuries up and down, but Luke has been tremendous for our team.”

Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard led the Boston Celtics’ bench in Game 1

Payton Pritchard was spectacular off the bench for the Boston Celtics, as he recorded 16 points, five rebounds, and four three-pointers, including the buzzer-beater at the end of the third period, in 24 minutes of action.

Luke Kornet, on the other hand, recorded four points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in 21 minutes of action.

With Kristaps Porzingis still sidelined , Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman Sr. are expected to log more minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also without their starting center Jarrett Allen, in this series.

Game 2 between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be on Thursday night at the TD Garden.