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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 24: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics speaks to the media during Boston Celtics Media Day at The Auerbach Center on September 24, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics fell to the San Antonio Spurs 125-116 on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center. Derrick White carried the offense with 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Jayson Tatum added 24 points. Ron Harper Jr. came off the bench for a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
It wasn’t enough. Victor Wembanyama torched Boston for a 39-point double-double, hitting 8 threes in the process. The Spurs made 20 three-pointers as a team and pulled away from Boston in the fourth.
The Celtics were already playing without Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic. They lost Jaylen Brown just before the halftime break. Two quick techs, and he was sent to the showers. After the game, his teammate had something to say about it.
White Doesn’t Hold Back After Loss
White was blunt when asked about losing Brown to an ejection.
“I think he got fouled, too,” White said. “He definitely earned the first one. I thought the second one was bullsh*t, honestly.”
There was no attempt to soften it. White watched Brown get tossed from a marquee game on national television before halftime, and he called it exactly what he thought it was. He then elaborated further.
“You can’t throw out a guy who’s done so much for us all year, and in a game like this, especially,” White said. “How do you throw him out? I think that was ridiculous, and it was tough, obviously, to basically play the whole second half without him. I feel like for a lot of the game…I don’t know how much time was on the clock…but I thought that was ridiculous.”
Jayson Tatum was also asked about the incident postgame.
“I disagree with it,” Tatum told reporters. “He definitely got pushed. First tech, probably warranted…the emotions are high…but the second tech, you gotta understand it’s a national TV game between two of the best teams in the league. You make a big deal about stars playing, then you’re trigger-happy to throw somebody out of the game. So I disagree with it.”
Two voices. One message. The Celtics had Brown’s back.
Hector Ledesma
“I thought it was bulls**t, honestly”
“It’s a passionate game, high level game. Can’t throw out a guy who’s done so much for us all year in a game like this especially”
“…it was ridiculous”
-Derrick White on Jaylen Brown’s Double-T ejection in a 125-116 #Spurs W vs #Celtics
What Happened Before Halftime
Brown posted on social media just moments after heading into the locker room, “This the sh*t I be talking about.”
He wasn’t wrong to be frustrated. The sequence that led to his ejection started with a no-call. Stephon Castle caused him to lose the ball and tumble out of bounds. No whistle.
Brown confronted Tyler Ford immediately. Pointing. Profanity. Ford hit him with the first technical. Brown kept arguing his case. Mehta, watching from across the court, issued the second technical without being directly involved in the exchange.
Brown had 8 points and 7 assists in 15 minutes. He was making big shots. He looked poised. But he was out the game in the blink of eye.
Ford explained the crew’s decision in a pool report after the game. The first technical came from Brown “aggressively pointing and using profanity in response to the no-call.” The second was assessed because Brown “aggressively approached a game official while pointing and using profanity.” Ford also noted that the officials saw no illegal contact on the play involving Castle.
Jaylen Brown
This the shit I be talking about
Celtics Played the Second Half Shorthanded
White put the Celtics on his back in the third quarter. Nineteen points in 12 minutes kept Boston within reach. The Celtics trailed by only seven heading into the fourth, 97-90. Tatum started hot in the last quarter to slice the deficit to 100-97. For a brief moment, it looked like Boston might overcome everything and steal a road win anyway.
San Antonio responded with a 12-0 run. The lead ballooned to 13 with three minutes remaining, and the game was effectively over. Wembanyama was unstoppable all night.
Harper Jr. deserves credit for his performance. His 22 points gave Boston a legitimate spark off the bench. But one career night couldn’t replace losing an All-Star for an entire half.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Final Word for the Celtics
The locker room stood with Jaylen Brown after the game.
Brown has been Boston’s most reliable player this season. Six missed games out of 65. He carried the offense when Tatum was sidelined and never made excuses. He showed up every night and delivered MVP-caliber performances without complaint.
White made it clear that Brown earned better treatment than what he received Tuesday night. The ejection happened before halftime in a nationally televised game between two of the best teams in the league.
The Celtics travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday to face the Thunder. Brown will be back on the floor.
The loss will sting. The support from his teammates won’t fade.