"It wasn't that funny": Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum dismiss Joe Mazzula's feeble attempt at diffusing tension
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics were in unfamiliar territory when trailing 64-71 at halftime against the Washington Wizards in their most recent matchup. And head coach Joe Mazzulla reportedly tried to crack some jokes to lighten the mood.
As the best team in the league with a 40-12 record, the Celtics aren't used to trailing. This is especially true against the Washington Wizards, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference (9-42), whom they already beat once this season.
The Athletic's Jay King reported:
"Joe Mazzulla said he told a couple of jokes during the third quarter to ease the tension while the Celtics were trailing Washington. He said he wouldn’t share them because they were inappropriate though."
However, neither Jayson Tatum nor Jaylen Brown found their coach's attempts at humor to be amusing.
According to King, here is what the Celtics' All-Star duo had to say about the situation.
"His joke wasn't that funny," Tatum said.
Brown echoed this sentiment by saying, "We were losing at the time. I didn’t find it funny."
Also read: Watch: Jayson Tatum's son Deuce Tatum gets mercilessly swatted by Sam Cassell pregame ahead of Celtics vs Hawks
Looking at the Boston Celtics's performance against the Washington Wizards
The Boston Celtics are better than the Washington Wizards this season in every aspect and are clear favorites to win any matchup between the two. As such, it might be a bit of a headscratcher to some fans that the Celtics would enter the second half trailing by seven points.
They wouldn't trail for long as they dominated both ends of the floor in the third quarter. They outscored the Wizards 36-16 to enter the final frame with a 100-87 advantage. Washington staged a valiant comeback effort in the fourth quarter, but Boston held it off to walk away with a 133-129 victory.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics, finishing the game with 35.0 points and 10.0 rebounds. He also dished the ball eight times, almost coming away with a triple-double. His fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown was also instrumental in their win, adding 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Kristaps Porzingis also helped the team with his 34.0 points and 11.0 rebounds. Meanwhile, two-way guard Jrue Holiday contributed 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
Boston holds a 2-0 advantage over the Wizards with this win. The team's next matchup will be on Mar. 17. The Celtics' final game of the regular season is also scheduled to be against the Wizards on Apr. 14.