Jaylen Brown Says Traffic on the Way to the Game 'Threw Everybody Off' Before Celtics' Loss to Wizards

Jaylen Brown shares the Celtics had their pregame routine disrupted before their 19-point loss to the Wizards.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Even with an upcoming showdown against the Bucks, Tuesday's 130-111 loss to the Wizards may prove the final blow to the Celtics' hopes of entering the playoffs as the top seed in the East.

Boston is now 2.5 back of Milwaukee, who hosts Thursday's matchup, with six games left on its regular-season slate.

While the Celtics have been, as Jaylen Brown put it post-game, "trending in the right direction," registering three-straight wins of over 20 points before their defeat in the nation's capital, Tuesday marked the latest example of the defending Eastern Conference champions playing down to their competition, and lacking the energy and focus necessary to perform up to their standard.

As Jayson Tatum put it, nights like this "tend to happen throughout the course of 82 games."

But getting swept in a two-game miniseries at TD Garden, blown out by a Thunder team missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Coming up short against the Rockets, who, at the time, were tied with the Pistons for the fewest wins in the NBA, letting a late lead slip against the Jazz, and blowing a 28-point lead at home against the Nets are why Boston probably has to go through the Sixers and the Bucks to get back to the Finals. And why they won't have home-court advantage against the latter.

Against Washington, Tatum finished with a team-best 28 points, pairing it with nine rebounds, which also led the visitors, and five assists, tying Marcus Smart for the most on the Celtics.

But he didn't play in the fourth quarter. Neither did Smart, Al Horford, or Derrick White. Brown, who contributed 18 points and four assists, got pulled less than three minutes into the final frame.

Joe Mazzulla deployed a unit of Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Grant Williams, Mike Muscala, and Luke Kornet, who got Boston within 13 with 4:59 remaining. But between what they provided and the team's top-rotation players didn't, Mazzulla stuck with that group the rest of the period. Something he addressed when he came to the podium.

While Brown didn't want to use it as an excuse for the loss, afterward, in the locker room, he conveyed that the Celtics had issues getting to Capital One Arena.

"We’ve been playing good ball the last couple (of) weeks," the two-time All-Star expressed via CLNS Media. "Tonight, we just throw it away; get ready for the next one. It was a weird game. Traffic kind of messed everything up, threw everybody off. No excuse. We gotta be better, starting with me. But we’ve been playing good basketball; just get back to it."

"Tonight, it just seemed like everything was going right for Washington, (and) everything was going wrong for us," he added. "On top of just, all the stuff that was happening before the game. But I'm not one to make excuses. Tonight wasn’t a good night. Tonight wasn’t my best night. And we gotta hold ourselves accountable. I gotta be better."

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla on Early Benching of Celtics' Stars in Loss to Washington Wizards: 'Just Looking for a Different Look at That Time'

Jayson Tatum Reacts to Celtics Potentially Letting Hope for the 1 Seed Slip in Loss vs. Wizards

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Wizards: Cold Shooting Dooms Boston in Costly Defeat

Celtics Visit White House to Discuss Criminal Justice Reform

Former Warriors' Director of Performance Keke Lyles Shares His Perspective on Load Management, Changing Stephen Curry's Movement Patterns, And What's Helped Jayson Tatum's Durability

Jayson Tatum Provides Insight on Summer Conference Call with Jaylen Brown and Brad Stevens Amid Kevin Durant Trade Rumors

Jaylen Brown Addresses Non-Committal Comments About Celtics' Future: 'I'm Focused on Helping Lead My Team for Another Playoff Run'