Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown was furious after an apparent no-call late in Monday night’s 105-103 loss to the Utah Jazz in Boston that he said “cost us the game.”
The Celtics were clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter with Brown handling the ball at the top of the key. Jazz guard Keyonte George fell while defending Brown, causing Brown to trip over him and lose the ball.
Utah rookie Walter Clayton Jr. collected it and threw an alley-oop to Lauri Markkanen on the fast break to put the Jazz up 103-102 with 44 seconds remaining.
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“You can’t have a mistake like that as an official at that point in the game,” Brown said. “It’s fourth quarter, it’s a minute left in the game or less, and you completely — the whole staff blows the f—ing call, you know what I mean? Cost us the game. Unacceptable.”
In a pool report conducted after the game, crew chief Kevin Scott defended the decision not to call a foul.
“During live play, the crew observed George slip and fall just prior to Brown slipping on the same spot, resulting in the ball becoming loose prior to any contact,” he said.
The Celtics tied the score on their next possession after Neemias Queta split a pair of free throws. Jusuf Nurkic put the Jazz ahead for good with a turnaround hook shot with one second left.
Brown finished with 36 points in 37 minutes as Boston fell to 3-5 this season.
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