Boston Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown called the Toronto Raptors’ In-Season Tournament court “unacceptable.”
Brown slipped on the Raptors’ court several times and may have strained his groin due to the court being slippery.
“I think as players we’re all here for the In-Season Tournament because it’s going to generate revenue, excitement, competition, but we’ve got to make sure the floor is safe to play on,” Brown said. “We can’t put our players out there and risk their health.”
Brown said the In-Season Tournament court he played on in Boston “was fine.” However, he said he heard other players around the NBA “mention they were slipping around” during In-Season Tournament games.
Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa agreed with Brown.
“It was slippery,” Achiuwa said. “I fell myself a few times. A couple of times I ended up on the floor. I slipped a few times. I’m extra cautious. Ending up on the floor is kind of like, OK, I’m checking myself. I’m trying to make sure everything is intact. At the end of the day, I just want to hoop.”
The Celtics beat the Raptors 108-105 to improve to 10-2 on the season. Brown played 35 minutes versus Toronto. He finished with 23 points, three rebounds and four assists while shooting 9-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3 and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line.
The Celtics have the best record in the NBA. Brown is averaging 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on the season. The two-time All-Star is shooting 47.2% overall, 37.8% from 3 and 73.3% from the foul line.