After cruising past Washington on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics couldn’t carry that momentum into Friday’s NBA Cup opener. They fell 123-110 to the Orlando Magic despite a strong 32-point outing from Jaylen Brown. Yet, his quiet fourth quarter raised questions about Boston’s late-game execution. Brown, however, dismissed the notion that his slowdown was to blame for the loss.

After dropping 30 points through three quarters, the former Finals MVP managed just two in the fourth, going 1-for-5 and missing his last four attempts. Still, he refused to take the blame. When asked about it postgame, Brown didn’t hold back , saying, “I think in the fourth quarter, the officials made their point. So I get it. I’ll keep my mouth closed.”

Brown’s visible frustration was from several un-called fou

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