Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla slams ‘ridiculous’ missed call involving Giannis and Jayson Tatum
"That's ridiculous. You can't miss that."
Jayson Tatum fell to the floor in pain after landing on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot during the third quarter of Boston’s 113-107 win over the Bucks Sunday night.
Tatum, who elevated for a corner 3-point shot, landed on one of Antetokounmpo’s feet, appearing to roll his ankle.
He was able to finish out the game, but he was visibly upset as cameras showed him talking to an official shortly afterwards.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t happy about it either.
“That’s ridiculous. You can’t miss that,” Mazzulla said, shrugging his shoulders. “You can’t miss that.”
Tatum finished with a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double, helping the Celtics erase an 11-point halftime deficit. He knocked down 13 of his 15 free-throws and notched six assists against five turnovers.
“He didn’t let it impact the rest of the game on either end of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “The refs did a great job, they knew that they missed it and anytime you can have that relationship with them and they did it, you just move on.”
“But, that’s something that’s gotta be (called),” he added. “He hurt an ankle before and that could have got him last time. Credit to him for handling it the right way.”
However, Tatum offered some public criticism of the call in a social media post on X after the game.
“Smfh 🤦🏽♂️ some calls you just not supposed to miss,” Tatum wrote.
Antetokounmpo was also involved in a physical play with Jaylen Brown early in the second quarter, when he elbowed Brown in the face on a drive to the basket.
Antetokounmpo was whistled for an offensive foul. Brown, who returned to action after missing four games with a hip injury, stayed in the game after the play.
Antetokounmpo pretended to put his hand out for a handshake and pulled it back and over his head before Brown could reach him, cracking a smile in the process.
“Giannis is a child,” Brown said. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Last month, Antetokounmpo told Complex Sports that he believed Brown was the best player in the NBA, stating that players who don’t make their team win are not the best.
Brown won NBA Finals and Eastern Conference Finals MVP last season as the Celtics claimed their record 18th championship.
The loss drops the Bucks to 2-8 on the season. Milwaukee, which won the NBA Finals in 2021, have had early struggles with the group led by Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and ex-Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 43 points in the loss.
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