Celtics
Brown committed seven turnovers before exiting the game.
Jaylen Brown’s early exit symbolized the Celtics’ efforts in Game 6. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
By Kaley Brown
May 17, 2025 | 8:20 AM
2 minutes to read
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The Celtics fall flat, bow out of playoffs in Knicks’ Game 6 beatdown: Takeaways](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2025/05/16/celtics-knicks-game-6-eastern-conference-semifinals-jaylen-brown-takeaways/?p1=article_recirc_inline_feature)
Jaylen Brown was perhaps the best player on the court for the Celtics in Game 6 Friday night.
That isn’t saying much, as the team saw their season end by being bludgeoned by the Knicks 119-81 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, sans Jayson Tatum. Brown’s stat line was far from great, but he visibly gave the most out of anyone on his side.
Except, his night was cut short well before his teammates’.
With less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter and Boston down 34 points to the Knicks, Brown committed his sixth foul and exited the game. Head coach Joe Mazzulla waved the white flag by putting Baylor Scheierman and Torrey Craig in the contest as the Celtics trailed by 41 points shortly after.
Brown, a minus-30 on the floor, logged 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists before heading to the bench for the final time of the 2024-25 season. He finished the game 8-of-20 shooting and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc and committed seven turnovers.
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“You take time, sit back, and kind of figure it out,” Brown said postgame. “But I’m excited. Things didn’t go your way this year, things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate. But we hold our head up regardless.”
None of Boston’s veterans showed up in Friday’s win-or-go-home matchup on the road in New York. Al Horford was a -33 with 10 points and two rebounds over 27 minutes. Jrue Holiday was a -34 with four rebounds and a measly four points in 30 minutes of action. Derrick White posted an abysmal stat line: -45, eight points, one rebound, and two assists over 30 minutes.
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Every healthy member of the Celtics saw the court at some point during the 38-point drubbing, an unfortunate factoid for a team in mid-May hoping to win back-to-back championships.
Brown didn’t lament on his, or his teammates’, forgettable Friday performances. He said he’s looking forward to the future, despite Tatum’s devastating injury and the way Boston ended their year.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death,” he said. “But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey. I’ll be ready for it.”
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Kaley Brown
Sports producer
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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