Not all was merry between Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on Christmas Day.
With the Celtics well on their way to a 139-118 victory at TD Garden, Brown and Antetokounmpo got into a heated on-court tussle late in the fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo took exception to how Brown went through a screen he set, and after picking himself up off the floor, the Greek Freak gave the Celtics star an elbow to his hip. The two then got face-to-face before teammates stepped between them.
Brown seemed perplexed by Antetokounmpo’s response when speaking about the incident with reporters following the win.
“I’m not really sure what happened,” Brown told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “I thought I was playing pretty physical defense, 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. And there was a lot chirping and talking in between.”
Brown standing his ground against the much more imposing Antetokounmpo, who stands 6-foot-11 and 242 pounds, only further cemented the motto he came up with for the Celtics about “taking no mess this year.”
“It’s a difference between trying to be a strong guy and letting your opponent know that I’m not backing down,” Brown said. “I’m not afraid of any challenge or any matchup whatsoever. So, in that moment I was just letting him know that.”
Brown, who came on strong against the Bucks to finish with 29 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Antetokounmpo appeared to squash their beef after the final whistle with the two interacting on the parquet.
This is far from the first scuffle Brown has been in this season. Just two days prior in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Brown got into it with Naz Reid after converting a layup attempt. There was also a skirmish with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in the season opener that led to Brown’s slogan for the Celtics.
Brown certainly has stood by those words, no matter the situation he has been in this season.
