Jaylen Brown said officiating affected his focus during the Boston Celtics loss to the Denver Nuggets, admitting he let missed calls get into his head. Despite scoring 33 points, Brown felt he did not get enough free throws and believes the physical play allowed by the refs hurt his rhythm, especially late in the game.
Jaylen Brown put the spotlight on officiating after the Boston Celtics fell 114-110 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Despite finishing with a game-high 33 points, Brown left the floor frustrated. He attempted just three free throws while committing seven turnovers, and he admitted that the way the game was called affected both his rhythm and decision-making, especially in the fourth quarter.
“I mean, they were physical. They got away with a lot,” Brown said in a post-game press conference. “The refs allowed them to get away with a lot. I’d love to get to the free-throw line a little bit more. I was physical, I was aggressive, I went up strong. I didn’t flop, but I kind of let the officiating get to my head a little bit. I think the defense was good, but it wasn’t great. I think I should have been better in spots.”
Brown, who averages 7.2 free throw attempts per game this season, felt the whistle did not match his aggressive style.
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Several of his drives through contact went uncalled, something he said made it harder to stay composed.
“For me, every time I get the ball, I’m looking to be aggressive,” he explained. “If I feel contact, I’m going to go through it. I’m going to go strong. But tonight, I was just getting blank faces when I was asking officials. They just decided, the last 10 games has been free throws; tonight, it wasn’t. So it is what it is.”
The numbers backed up the frustration. Boston attempted only 15 free throws in the game, with eight coming in the final two minutes after the Nuggets had already built a double-digit lead. Denver, meanwhile, went to the line 24 times.
Brown explained that inconsistent officiating can impact more than just scoring.
“I normally get to my spots and go up and be physical and go to the basket, and I draw a lot of contact,” Brown said. “I’m one of the more aggressive players in the league. I drive a lot. And the whistle didn’t equate to that. Maybe they wanted to make an emphasis — I don’t know. But I’ll adjust for the next game and see how the game is being called. Because if you don’t get some of those calls, they look like bad shots, and it kind of snowballs on defense.”
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla eventually went to the bench late, sitting Brown and Derrick White with 1:12 left and the Celtics down 11.
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