Forward Jaylen Brown had a defining minute at the end of the third quarter in the Celtics’ 107-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night at the TD Garden.

Coach Joe Mazzulla challenged Brown to be a two-way presence and capsulized that with one minute to play in the third quarter. Dallas guard Kyrie Irving was making a play under the basket that Brown swatted away. The Boston fans were openly disdainful of Irving and went wild when Brown made him eat the basketball.

Brown’s work didn’t end with the defensive gem of the game. On the Celtics next trip up the court, Brown sank a 26-foot bomb to give Boston an 86-64 lead with 34.1 seconds to play in the period.

“I was just trying to make some plays and get my team going,” said Brown. “Defense is what we have to hang our hats on and right there, that was an example of that.

“It was full team effort and we kind of got lucky a few times. I think defensively I thought we made some big-time plays and when they cut it to eight, that’s when the game began and I like the way our team responded.”

Brown played 37 minutes and led the team with 22 points. He shot 7-12 from the field with two made 3-point shots, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Sometimes it is the small stats like steals and blocks that make the biggest impact.

“What you saw tonight is kind of the challenge he took for himself coming into the year,” said Mazzulla. “Not wanting to be defined by one thing. Wanting to make plays. Wanted to be a well-rounded player and get better and better. So, his spacing, his ball movement, his defense on-ball and off-ball.

“Usually when you give up a run and your offense gets a little stagnant, your defense goes with it. Tonight, our defense kept us in it and that’s really important, to have that defensive mindset. Some of those plays that Jaylen made were a part of that.”

While Brown may have had the most complete game of any Celtic on the floor, the night belonged to Kristaps Porzingis, who saw his first action since suffering a calf injury in Game 4 of the Miami Heat series on April 29. Porzingis came off the bench early in the first quarter and scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half.

“It was amazing, nobody’s more proud and more excited for him than I am,” said Brown. “But we’ve got to get better, we’ve got to, you know…

“Almost forget about it and get ready for the next one. We can’t be celebrating ourselves. Dallas is probably getting ready for the next game right now, so we got to prepare and get ready for the next one, too.”