Controversy surrounded the Boston Celtics' 105-103 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. With less than a minute left in the game, the hosts had the ball and a one-point advantage. They turned to Jaylen Brown to help put the finishing touches on what would have been a bounce-back win to climb to .500.
As the former Finals MVP went to attack the basket, his defender, Keyonte George, stumbled to the TD Garden parquet. That led to Brown tripping over him as he started driving downhill. Despite the clear-cut foul, the whistle never blew.
Instead, the Jazz scooped up the loose ball and went the other way. Walter Clayton Jr. tossed an alley-oop to Lauri Markkanen, and the visitors suddenly had a one-point edge with under 45 seconds remaining.
After the loss, a frustrated Brown sounded off about the referees swallowing the whistle in a crucial moment that helped swing the outcome.
"It's fourth quarter -- it's a minute left in the game, or less, and you completely -- the whole staff blows the [expletive] call. You know what I mean? It cost us the game. Like, unacceptable," voiced the four-time All-Star after the controversial non-call.
"They [were] telling me like, 'Oh, like, we didn't see it.' Like, how [did] none of you see it? You can't trip somebody in the fourth quarter, and it just be a no-call. That's some [expletive]."
While referee Kevin Scott doubled down on that decision in the pool report, the NBA's last two-minute report disagreed with him.
"George [UTA] slips and falls into Brown's [BOS] path, tripping Brown," it states, deeming the call to be incorrect.
That led to a pleasant surprise for the Celtics' star wing.
The NBA is not fining Jaylen Brown
The 2025-26 campaign is the Marietta, Georgia native's tenth in the Association. He is well aware that taking aim at the officiating, especially while using profanity, can lead to a fine.
However, just like the powers that be revealed in the last two-minute report that they agreed with his outlook about the missed call, those who decide whether to fine someone for post-game discourse of Brown's nature declined to do so.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports that his post-game venting will not lighten his wallet. No fine is forthcoming.
"I guess they understood [my anger]," Brown told Washburn before the Celtics righted the ship, registering a 136-107 win over the Washington Wizards. The former All-NBA Second Team selection had a game-high 35 points, five assists, and five rebounds in the victory.