Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Upset by 'Ridiculous' Non-Call on Hard Foul Against Jayson Tatum

Ricardo Klein | Nov 11, 2024

Jan 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla with forward Jayson Tatum (0) look on from the sideline as they take on the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday to capture their ninth win of the season. The Celtics were in a fought battle with the Bucks, who had struggled all season long and came away victorious on the road.

The Celtics did enough to come away with the victory, but it didn't come without any hurdles.

Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum gave fans a scare when he tweaked his ankle in the third quarter. He landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot after a 3-point attempt, though no landing zone foul was called on the Bucks star.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla was not happy with the no-call, and that was evident when he spoke to the media after the game.

"That's ridiculous," Mazzulla said of the missed call during his postgame press conference. "Can't miss that. Can't miss that."

"Ridiculous"

Joe Mazzulla talks missed foul call on Giannis Antetokounmpo against Jayson Tatum 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zygr4AcHLn

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 10, 2024

He continued by saying that he was happy with Tatum keeping his composure.

"He didn't let it impact the rest of the game on either end of the floor," Mazzulla said. "But the refs did a great job. They knew that they missed it. ... But credit to (Tatum) for handling it the right way."

Tatum was not affected by the no-call or his tweaked ankle. He still finished the game with 31 points, shooting 7-for-21 from the field, 12 rebounds, and six assists in 40 minutes.

The no-call, which is usually called in today's NBA, should have resulted in a flagrant foul, Penalty 1. The play is dangerous and can cause injury, and the penalty is two free throws for the shooter. The team retains possession of the ball.

It was a missed call by the officials, which explains why Mazzula was so upset about the no-call.

Nonetheless, the Celtics were their usual self as they shot spectacularly beyond the arc and hit 19-of-50 threes, which came out to 38 percent.

Not only did Tatum do his part, but so did the others, like Payton Pritchard, who added 18 points, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, who had 15 each, and Jaylen Brown, who scored 14 points.

It was Brown's first game back after he missed four consecutive games with a hip injury. Brown played in 37 minutes, added five rebounds and four assists, and shot 4-for-13 from the field.

The Celtics will look to earn its third consecutive victory when it hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday for the first game of the 2024 NBA Cup. Tip-off for that matchup is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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