Jaylen Brown unleashed a lengthy tirade against the officiating crew after the Boston Celtics fell 100-95 to the San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden on Saturday night, citing a dramatic free-throw disparity and saying he is willing to accept any league fine that follows.
Boston attempted just four free throws, two of them by Derrick White with 37 seconds remaining. San Antonio finished 14-for-20 at the line. Brown, who did not shoot a single free throw, called the performance of crew chief Curtis Blair and his colleagues “terrible” and said “the inconsistency is crazy every time we play a good team.”
“I’m driving to the basket, I’m physical, and nothing,” Brown said. “Give me the fine.” He added that he has “conspiracies” about why calls are not made in high-profile matchups but declined to elaborate.
The Celtics (24-14) still had opportunities late. Brown, who logged 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, went 1-for-9 from the field in the fourth quarter and committed two turnovers. With 1:19 left and Boston trailing 95-93, he missed a wide-open three-pointer; moments later De’Aaron Fox stripped him in transition, leading to a Julian Champagnie layup that stretched San Antonio’s lead to four.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla downplayed the officiating and placed the emphasis on Boston’s defense. “We have to be better defending without fouling,” he said, estimating that four or five of the Spurs’ 20 free-throw attempts were avoidable.
San Antonio (27-11) overcame rough shooting nights from rookie guards Stephon Castle (3-for-16) and Dylan Harper (2-for-7) thanks to Victor Wembanyama’s 21 points off the bench. The 7-4 center, easing back from a knee injury, added six rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes, knocking down two jumpers in the final minute—the last with 19.1 seconds left—to secure the win.
Wembanyama has come off the bench in three straight games but said he expects to return to the starting lineup soon; he can miss only three more games this season to remain eligible for end-of-season awards under the NBA’s 65-game rule.
Source: ESPN
