Jaylen Brown knew the NBA probably did not appreciate the way he celebrated his emphatic dunk Wednesday night.

After throwing one down over Isaiah Stewart during the Celtics’ 130-120 win over Detroit at TD Garden, Brown stared down the Pistons big man and did a throat-slash gesture with his right hand.

“Just caught up in the moment, I guess,” Brown said postgame. “Big play. I think that the NBA and the (players association) are sensitive about the gestures and things like that, so I’ve got to be mindful of that.”

Asked whether he expects hear from the league about the celebration, Brown replied: “Oh yeah.”

The dunk was part of a sensational first half for Brown, who scored 23 points before halftime as Detroit struggled to defend his drives to the rim. He finished with 28 points, three steals, six rebounds and a season-high nine assists while Celtics co-star Jayson Tatum sat out with a minor knee injury.

“I think he did a great job (Wednesday night),” teammate Kristaps Porzingis said. “He was like he was exerting a lot of energy just to create, just to get downhill. And of course, they’re trying to be physical with him. But his physicality, his motor is like — he’s an animal, I’m not gonna lie. And he’s guarding, and he’s getting downhill looking for a kick-out. …

“I think sometimes it even goes unnoticed, but he’s JB. We almost expect this from him, but he’s really, really good.”

Stewart was involved in a brief dustup with Porzingis later in the game that resulted in technical fouls for both players. He also appeared to shove Brown under the basket after a second-quarter 3-pointer by Derrick White.

“I feel like he’s always doing stuff like that,” Brown said. “I think that is how he plays the game. But my focus is on coming out, running the offense, getting our team into the right positions. So I didn’t want to get distracted. But definitely some going back and forth, and we’re not tolerating that this year from nobody.”

Originally Published: December 5, 2024 at 12:02 AM EST