NBA Game Notes (March 26, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 26, 2023.

Celtics Demolish Spurs

Jaylen Brown took over with Jayson Tatum sidelined with a hip contusion, producing game highs of 41 points and 13 rebounds in a 137-93 demolition of the Spurs. The Celtics have won five of their last six games to move within a game-and-a-half of the idle Milwaukee Bucks for first first place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Brown shot 18-29 from the field in recording his eighth career 40-point game, tying Tom Heinsohn for the fifth-most such games in franchise history. It was Brown’s third career 40-point, 10-rebound game, also tied for the fifth-most such games in franchise history (with Sam Jones).

The Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 20 points and dish out a game-high nine assists. Brogdon has recorded 17 20-point games coming off the bench this season, the second-most such games in the NBA (Bennedict Mathurin, 23).

Zach Collins led the Spurs with 21 points and seven rebounds, who were missing leading scorer Keldon Johnson. The Spurs led 32-30 at the end of the first quarter before being outscored 107-61 the remainder of the game.

The Spurs have lost 11 games by 30 or more points this season, breaking a tie with the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets for the second-most such losses in a season in NBA history (2021-22 Portland Trail Blazers, 15). It was their eighth loss by 35 or more points, two more such losses than any other team in NBA history.