With Jayson Tatum back and Victor Wembunyama in tears, Tuesday’s game between the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs has added weight as a preview of a potential NBA Finals.
One of the star players did not make it to halftime.
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Celtics All-Star and MVP candidate Jaylen Brown thought he was fouled late in the first half. Officials did not call him and he protested the lack of calls. The protest ultimately resulted in him receiving two technical fouls and being ejected from the game.
The incident occurred with 3 minutes and 38 seconds left in the second quarter. Brown had the ball in the frontcourt but lost control as he went out of bounds. The referee blew the whistle for a dead ball, but no foul was committed.
Brown thought he was fouled by Stephen Castle, who was guarding him near the sideline. Replays showed Castle nudged his hip.
Brown immediately protested the failure to call Tyler Ford. He then walked to the other end of the court to continue his protest, and Ford called him a technical foul.
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Brown continued to argue. He started closing in on Ford before teammates Derek White and Sam Houser intervened. As White and Hauser began pushing him away, another whistle blew.
The words came from umpire Suyash Mehta on the other side of the pitch. It was a second technical on Brown and an automatic ejection from Brown.
This did not de-escalate the situation. Brown was furious at this point. He pushed past his teammates and continued to approach Ford and argue. Eventually, Boston security and head coach Joe Mazzula forced Brown off the field.
About 90 seconds after no one answered, Brown walked into the tunnel. Boston led 51-49 before Julian Champagnie hit 1 of 2 technical free throws to cut the lead to 51-50.
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At halftime, the two sides were tied at 58. With his phone in hand, Brown complained about the situation on social media.
This story will be updated.
