Brown puts Celtics back on winning track

NEW YORK (AFP) — Jaylen Brown rattled in 29 points as the Boston Celtics got back to winning ways with a 108-89 rout of the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season on Monday.

Brown, who missed Boston’s 115-111 home defeat to Cleveland on Sunday due to illness, spearheaded a potent Celtics offensive effort against a depleted Miami line-up at TD Garden.

The 28-year-old shooting guard finished with seven rebounds and four assists as Boston improved to 17-4 to remain second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cavaliers.

Payton Pritchard once again caught the eye with a sharpshooting performance off the bench, knocking down five three-pointers from 12 attempts to finish with 25 points.

Derrick White, who also missed Sunday’s defeat to Cleveland, also impressed for the NBA champions with 19 points including five three-pointers.

Jayson Tatum added 18 points as Boston kept the scoreboard ticking over, establishing a hefty double-digit lead midway through the third quarter before cruising to victory.

The Celtics’ prowess from outside the arc was decisive, with Boston making 19-of-55 attempts from three-point range, in sharp contrast to Miami, who finished with only 8-of-35.