Jaylen Brown expresses frustration over ‘foul baiting’ after defeat to the Thunder

Jaylen Brown Critiques NBA Trends

Jaylen Brown is expressing his discontent with the current landscape of the NBA.

After scoring 34 points in a close 104-102 defeat against the Thunder on Thursday, the Celtics forward addressed reporters for the first time since being ejected earlier in the week for a non-foul call.

“I’m not sure how things will pan out, but I just don’t want to compromise my integrity,” Brown shared. “I don’t want to resort to flopping, but sometimes it feels necessary. We had moments in the fourth quarter where we fought hard, but we couldn’t create any uncertainty. Maybe if we had flopped, we could’ve swayed the ref’s decision. Those calls can really change the outcome.”

In a previous game against the Spurs, Brown found himself in a heated exchange with officials after being knocked off the ball by San Antonio’s Stephon Castle while dribbling.

Brown was hit with two technical fouls and was subsequently ejected.

During Thursday’s match, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set a new record by scoring in 20 consecutive games—breaking a mark held by Wilt Chamberlain—with a notable 35 points, including 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has drawn criticism from fans for being labeled a “free throw merchant,” as he leads the league in fouls.

The Celtics’ loss was partially due to a pair of free throws made by OKC center Chet Holmgren, who fouled Boston’s Sam Hauser with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

Brown didn’t comment directly on Hauser or Gilgeous-Alexander’s tactics but pointed to a more significant issue within the game.

“We acknowledge the players who play fairly, but it seems to reward those who find ways to manipulate the system to their advantage,” he noted, mentioning he himself ranks sixth in fouls this season. “This doesn’t feel like basketball to me. Let’s just focus on playing the game as intended.”

Brown enjoyed a solid night, converting 13 of 14 free throws.

As of now, the Celtics are in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 43-23 record, trailing the top-seeded Pistons by 4.5 games and the Knicks by 1.5 games.