LeBron James commented on Twitter following the contentious overturned foul call against Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who was guard Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers.
The Boston Celtics were defeated on Monday night by the Indiana Pacers, who recovered from their defeat. Despite Tyrese Haliburton’s injury, they managed to win on Monday following a challenging loss to the Celtics on Friday.
The Celtics led by nine points at the half after Haliburton sustained a hamstring injury in the second quarter. In spite of this, TJ McConnell’s Pacers emerged victorious.
The game’s last minute saw a few contentious calls, one of which the referees reversed, so the victory was not without controversy.
After he drove the court and attempted a contested mid-range jump shot, Jaylen Brown tied the game. Head coach Rick Carlisle challenged the call on Buddy Hield’s foul.
This foul by Buddy Hield on Jaylen Brown was overturned by the referees.
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 9, 2024
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After the challenge was ultimately won by the Pacers, the call was reversed. Hield appeared to have struck Brown in the back of the head with his forearm, though, as the replay showed.
It goes without saying that Brown and the Celtics were furious. LeBron James, a player for the Los Angeles Lakers, also added his voice on Twitter, criticizing the officials for mishandling the call and stating that Brown “clearly got hit in the back of the head.”
After the contentious call was overturned, Kristaps Porzingis was called for a foul against Bennedict Mathurin, forcing the young Pacers player to the line. He ultimately sealed the victory for Indiana by making the first two free throws.
Though Boston was also upset about the call, the majority of the conversation following the game focused on the call that was reversed against Brown, particularly in light of what was said to Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
Mazzulla claims that Hield admitted to him that he had struck Brown in the head following the game. The head coach of the Boston Celtics stated that he would be anticipating the NBA’s Last Two-Minute report the following day.
Regarding Hield, he acknowledged that he had spoken with the Boston coach but would neither confirm nor deny what he had said to Mazzulla.
Ultimately, the decision was made, and the Pacers emerged victorious, regaining their footing in a challenging Eastern Conference following a disappointing defeat to the same Celtics on Friday.
