Jaylen Brown gives Tatum frosty reception, then struggles badly against Boston

11/11/202607:39

Jaylen Brown gave Jayson Tatum a frosty pregame reception before struggling in Philadelphia’s 123-101 loss to Boston

The first meeting between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum since the offseason trade began with an awkward moment, as Brown appeared to ignore Tatum’s attempt to greet him before tip-off.

Things did not improve from there. Philadelphia was blown out 123-101, with Brown finishing with just 13 points, five rebounds, four turnovers and a game-worst minus-27.

“I was looking forward to this. I was looking forward to playing well, but s— happens,” Brown said. Sixers coach Nick Nurse summed it up simply: “He had a rough night.”

Brown denied that emotions affected him, pointing instead to foul trouble disrupting his rhythm. Tatum, meanwhile, played down the personal storyline: “No headlines about anything like that. I was just getting ready for the game.”