Jaylen Brown reached 10,000 career points in the third quarter of the Boston Celtics’ 124-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on Sunday night.

The 27-year-old is the 15th player in Celtics history to reach the milestone.

“I don’t wanna skip over that. It’s been a great journey. Even though the journey is still going, you just take the moments to appreciate all of the hard work and effort that has gone into getting to this point,” Brown said after the game. “I’m incredibly grateful and I’m looking forward to the future. … And I’m looking forward to just continue to grow, continue to improve, and to maximize my potential.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and effort. But I’m extremely blessed at the same time, so I don’t take that for granted. … It means a lot. It means a lot of hard work. It’s been a great journey, and we’re still looking forward to what’s next. Hopefully another 10,000 in me.”

Once the milestone became official, Brown received a loud ovation and cheers from the TD Garden crowd. He acknowledged those in attendance, and said it served as encouragement to help him become an even better player.

“(There are) JB fans who’ve stayed in my corner since Day 1. I feel that love and I like to just show that love right back. There’s a lot of people in Boston who’ve supported my career … and I’m grateful for that,” Brown said. “That encourages me to just keep getting better. That encourages me to keep improving and proving the critics wrong.”

Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla praised Brown, noting it’s cool from his end to coach someone when they reach an important milestone.

“A lot,” Mazzulla said when asked how much the milestone meant. “Just because of the type of guy that he is (and) the hard work that he puts in and really the growth he’s shown this year. … I know he’s happy about that. but I know even when he achieves those things he’s never satisfied. He deserves that because of hard work he puts in.”

WHEN THE CELTICS traded for Kristaps Porzingis last summer, it was for a chance to add a talented big man that could transform the roster. But there was at least one clear question: How would Porzingis look in the NBA playoffs?

Well, those questions will be answered in the next few weeks. The Celtics still have four regular-season games to get through, then move on to the most important part of the season. As Porzingis has showcased all season, he’ll be a crucial part of the equation. It’s why Porzingis is itching to prove he can perform in the playoffs.

“Last year, I was sitting back home in Latvia, just following the results and watching the games and stuff,” Porzingis said after the Celtics beat the Blazers. “I’m thinking to myself like, ‘Of course it’s nice to finish the season early, but there’s nothing else to do.’ What is there better to do than to play basketball? Nothing. Yeah, you can go for a little vacation. But this is what I love to do.”

While Porzingis is in his eighth season in the NBA, he’s only played in 10 playoff games, all with the Mavericks. Those games were a mixed bag, and the last time he played in the playoffs, he struggled in a first-round loss to the Clippers in 2021.

But Porzingis has a great chance to rewrite his own playoff narratives starting in a few weeks. He’s arguably in the ideal scenario to showcase his talents, but game plans will be focused on stopping Jayson Tatum and Brown. Of course, the game slows down and is much more physical, so there will be adjustments. But the Celtics are playoff-tested – all that’s left is to get to the NBA Finals and win it all this time.

The Celtics are going to be the clear favorites in the East. They’ve been dominant all season, and even though they’ve had plenty of success the past two seasons, this team is clearly the best of the bunch.

“I love basketball so much – especially playing here and playing in the postseason is going to be incredible,” Porzingis said. “I’m looking forward to that. Of course it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough physically and mentally. But if we want to achieve what we want to achieve, then it’s not going to be easy. We have to come up with that, for sure.”

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