Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played a high number of minutes in Saturday night's 111-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Tatum played a season-high 45 minutes and Brown played 42 minutes, helping the Celtics defeat their longstanding Western Conference rivals. In comparison, Brown normally averages 35.3 minutes per game while Tatum averages 36.5.

That Celtics-Lakers rivalry was a significant reason for why Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla opted to play his two superstars for most of the game, giving them the opportunity to leave their mark in the legacy matchup.

“There’s moments that you give those guys chances to be able to be a part of that," Mazzulla told reporters after the game. "Everybody on this roster is playing for a legacy. And you do it together, and I felt like tonight was a great moment for them to be able to compete at high level for as long as they wanted to.”

“It’s my way of saying you better win," Mazzulla added.

Mazzulla's decision paid off. Tatum recorded 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and Brown added 31 points, six rebounds and two assists in the victory. They kept the Celtics going through a tightly fought first half, before outscoring the Lakers 29-13 in the third quarter to take a lead. Brown —along with Al Horford—contributed significantly on the defensive end as well by limiting the effect of Luka Doncic for much of the game.

“That’s just what my team needs me to do,” Brown said. “Obviously, we got a lot of talented guys on both ends, but I think my team looks for me to be able to set the tone defensively and take on those big matchups."

The Celtics return to action on Monday against the Utah Jazz, but the team will face their next staunch defensive task when they face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Mazzulla Gave Special Reason For Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Playing Extra Vs. Lakers.