Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics saw their five-game win streak come to an end in a 118-112 loss Wednesday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jayson Tatum contributed the most for the Celtics, tallying 33 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
What the Celtics did not lack in shooting volume (NBA record 36 three-pointers attempted in the first half and 63 total via StatMuse ), they did in getting to the line (12 free throws compared to Oklahoma City’s 35). MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 11 free throws by himself in the win, just one shy of the total for his entire opposition.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Brown assigned blame for the loss and free throw discrepancy. Rather than blaming the officials, Brown blamed himself.
“I didn’t get a free throw attempt tonight. That means I wasn’t aggressive enough or I wasn’t physical enough,” said the four-time All-Star. “Even when [the referees] choose not to call fouls or whatever it is, I’m [usually] still able to get at least one free throw attempt. I had zero, so that just lets me know that I wasn’t aggressive enough.”
Jaylen Brown said multiple times he wasn’t aggressive/physical enough tonight:
“I didn't get a free throw attempt tonight. That means I wasn't aggressive enough, or I wasn't physical enough… even when they choose not to call fouls or whatever it is, I'm still able to get at… pic.twitter.com/jqvEilqRAb
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 13, 2025
Brown struggled from the field against the physical Oklahoma City, scoring just 10 points on 33% shooting and 0-for-5 from the three-point line. The reigning NBA Finals MVP had a season-low in points scored against the Thunder.
With just 14 games remaining in the regular season, Boston only has two matchups against a top-eight seed in either conference. While the Celtics likely will not catch the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed (8.5 games back), they should keep the second seed going into the playoffs as they sit five games ahead of the New York Knicks.
This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.
