Jaylen Brown opens up on his scuffle with Giannis Antetokounmpo
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown got into a minor altercation with Giannis Antetokounmpo during the Celtics' Christmas Day matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. With frustrations flaring all around in the heat of the moment, Brown shed light on the situation.
The Boston Celtics took on the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day at the TD Garden in Boston. With two of the best teams in the East playing each other, the game was set to be a heated one.
This aspect certainly lived up to expectations after Boston started building up on their lead heading into the fourth quarter. With the gap widening, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo showed signs of frustration.
Things finally hit a flashpoint late in the fourth quarter when a physical defensive play saw Antetokounmpo take a tumble after setting a screen on Brown.
After hitting the floor, the Bucks superstar responded with an aggressive act by shoving Brown with his elbow. The action resulted in an immediate outburst from both sides as the situation got chippy, with players on the floor gathering around the two.
With tempers flaring, game officials calmed the situation down by handing Giannis a technical foul. However, this had little impact as the situation failed to dissipate.
While the altercation occurred late in the game, it may have set the tone for the dynamic between the two teams going forward. Jaylen Brown also addressed the altercation during the postgame press conference.
When asked about what went down, Brown simply stated:
"I'm not really sure what happened. I thought I was playing pretty physical defense. Nothing different. Nothing dirty. Seemed like it was a clean play. Maybe he was a little bit frustrated. He got up and threw an elbow at me for whatever reason. It was a lot of chirping and talking in between.
"But, there's a difference between trying to be a tough guy and then letting your opponent know that I'm not backing down. I'm not afraid of any challenge or any matchup whatsoever. So, in that moment, I was just letting him know that."
Jaylen Brown spoke on his scuffle with Giannis and how it played out https://t.co/q7Ge3rbOpc
Jaylen Brown isn't traditionally known to be a dirty player. In this regard, the play in itself wouldn't be considered dirty either. The response from Giannis Antetokounmpo may have been purely out of frustration, but it did little to benefit Milwaukee's position.
With a 139-118 win against the Bucks, Boston thumped Milwaukee on Christmas Day. With the Celtics also witnessing Brown develop as a two-way player, the C's will hope to see sustained excellence from their star.
Read: Frank Isola predicts his early NBA All-Star candidates, including Giannis Antetokounmpo & Boston Celtics duo: “I think these are the seven locks”
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown light it up on Christmas
The Boston Celtics notched a massive win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day. While defense has been a huge factor in their success, the Celtics saw pure offensive brilliance from their star duo in this game.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the scoring charge against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day. With Tatum topping the leaderboards with 41 points on the night, Brown followed suit with a solid 29 points.
Jaylen Brown's impact on both ends of the floor has been particularly noteworthy this season. As one of the most gifted two-way players in the league, the Celtics guard is certainly carving out his place as one of the best in the business.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum continues to develop exponentially. With several mentions in the MVP conversation, Tatum is on the verge of taking that next step to being the best in the league.
Read: Jaylen Brown makes bold claim about his duo with Jayson Tatum: “Me and JT are probably the best two-way players in the league”