The Boston Celtics barely showed up on Monday night against the New York Knicks and their MVP candidate checked out early.
Jayson Tatum was ejected late in the fourth quarter of a 109-94 loss to the Knicks, making it the first time the sixth-year player has been tossed from a game.
Tatum was frustrated all night long, scoring just 14 points on 6 of 18 shooting at Madison Square Garden.
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He picked up his second technical foul in the fourth quarter, sending him to the showers as his teammates wrapped up the loss.
“I don’t know,” Tatum said when asked what led to the second technical, according to ESPN.
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“But all the great players get thrown out a few times in their career,” he said with a smile. “So, it’s good for my rep.”
Tatum told reporters after the game that his ejection came about after a sarcastic quip to an official.
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“It’s tough,” Tatum said. “The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul. And those are the ones that’s tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about. [On the] second one, I just told him this was probably the best-officiated game I’ve been a part of.
“I tried to give him a compliment. Didn’t go over so well.”
The Knicks had a significant advantage at the free-throw line, going to the charity stripe 34 times to Boston’s 14.
The loss dropped the Celtics to a game back in the loss column of the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
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