Jaylen Brown snubbed Jayson Tatum before tipoff. His night against the Celtics only got worse
Former Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown confronted ex-running mate Jayson Tatum at a dinner table in France last June over their future in Boston, and that bad blood finally resurfaced on the hardwood Tuesday night.
Key points
- PHILADELPHIA — The final blow to the 76ers’ chest — and their ego — came with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, as Paul George held his follow-through in front of his former bench and Jayson Tatum stretched his wings toward his teammate in celebration.
- In stark contrast, Jaylen Brown’s confusion over a busted coverage was plastered all over his face as he and the veteran, star-studded bunch shuffled back to their seats before the white flag was raised.
- When he received the ball, he put his head down and charged at opposing defenders recklessly, unable to generate rhythm — and the rampant roars from the Philly faithful only compounded Brown’s downhill desperation and aggression.
JAYLEN BROWN SOUNDS LIKE A 'SORE LOSER' AFTER BLAMING EMBIID FOR CELTICS' COLLAPSE Seconds before tip-off Tuesday night in Philly, Tatum walked over and tapped Brown on the chest to say hello.
Additional details
- Seconds before tipoff, after the tidal wave of boos, tension and apprehension had consumed the building, Brown had a golden opportunity to bury the hatchet as Tatum approached him near midcourt.
- After the final buzzer, Brown hugged several of his former teammates before heading back to the locker room, leaving the floor without saying a word to Tatum.
- (Brown recorded his second-highest first-quarter usage rate this season, paired poorly with a 28.6 turnover rate.) A failure to find an offensive groove carried over to the other side of the ball, with Brown giving away cheap fouls, forcing him to sit and ultimately limiting him to just 25 minutes.
- But it might be a little lambchops and some gravy." Drafted third overall in back-to-back drafts (Brown in 2016, Tatum in 2017), the duo reached five conference finals, two NBA Finals and won the 2024 NBA title.
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