Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson had choice words for each other after the pair got tangled up for a flagrant foul committed by Brown.
The Celtics and Heat faced off in an afternoon rivalry matchup as the United States prepared to watch the Super Bowl in the evening. The game was a narrow 110-106 win for the Celtics, but it wasn’t without controversy.
Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson got tangled up during the game in a pretty risky foul. Brown believes Duncan intentionally went after the contact to try and get an offensive foul called, as he can’t play defense.
“I think he (Duncan Robinson) knew exactly what he was doing there. Trying to get tangled up, etc., because he didn’t wanna play defense. They called the foul, but he was still trying to hang on, and I was trying to get my arm free… I don’t know what he was trying to do, but I bet you he won’t do it again.”
Robinson had a different tone after the game, claiming that Brown made a dirty play while knowing how such altercations can cause career-threatening injuries.
“I just thought it was a dirty play, to be honest with you. That’s how people miss entire seasons. Those types of plays, you’ve seen throughout the history of the NBA, guys suffer bad injuries from that. I thought it was dangerous, unnecessary, and excessive.”
The play in question saw Robinson lock arms with Brown, trying to intercept an inbounds pass. However, that created a situation where Brown tried moving forward and jerking Robinson’s arm forward to get himself free.
Given we’ve seen multiple NBA players suffer shoulder dislocations or worse in this situation, this could’ve led to both players missing time.
The Celtics won the game 110-106 in the Heat’s home arena. Brown put up 20 points and nine rebounds, having a perfectly decent game on 50% shooting from the field. Robinson put up 15 points off the bench, shooting 45.5% on the night.
Robinson and Brown have avoided injury for now, but there is a player who suffered a potentially season-ending injury during this game, altering the odds of contention for one of the two franchises.
Terry Rozier Suffers Scary Leg Injury In Loss To Celtics
The Heat made a big move to solidify their status as contenders in the NBA when they acquired Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets while giving up a first-round draft pick to do so. Rozier has had a slow start in Miami but was turning a corner recently.
Unfortunately, he will now miss some time after suffering a scary leg injury in the Celtics loss.
Rozier looked in extreme distress after the landing on his layup. It’s unclear where he hurt himself, as Rozier was grabbing his knee but the broadcast would later say it was a leg injury. Some people believe it could be an ankle injury, which would be less severe but still a worry.
Non-contact injuries are often the worst, as they lead to soft-tissue tears which could take a season’s absence to repair. We’re praying that Rozier isn’t sidelined for an extended period, as this Heat team could make some noise after they build continuity in the roster with Rozier playing a significant role.
He’s averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 10 games since joining Miami.
