Jaylen Brown had to be licking his chops heading into the Philadelphia 76ers' Tuesday night clash against the Boston Celtics. After all, this was his opportunity for revenge after feeling jilted by the way the Celtics handled trade talks involving him. However, Brown fell flat on his face as the 76ers lost in blowout fashion, 123-101.

Brown, whom the 76ers acquired for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, finished with just 13 points and five rebounds on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, a season-low for him in shot attempts. Meanwhile, George shone for the Celtics, leading the way with 36 points after erupting for 14 consecutive points in the fourth to put the game to bed.

All Brown could do was admit that he played poorly, and he even blurted out an expletive to emphasize his point.

“I was looking forward to this. I was looking forward to playing well, but s**t happens I guess,” Brown said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN.

Jaylen Brown: “I was looking forward to this. I was looking forward to playing well, but shit happens I guess.” pic.twitter.com/Yi1HzYN83v

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) November 11, 2026

Article Continues Below

Brown truly was looking forward to this game against the Celtics. He's been adding fuel to the fire of his growing beef with Jayson Tatum, and his remarks in the build-up to this contest have only made an already flammable situation that much more fiery.

It was clear that the 76ers forward aimed to make a statement, especially with the way he was defending Tatum to start the game. He didn't even recognize his former Celtics co-star's attempt to greet him prior to tip-off, which speaks volumes to how locked in and how he seems to be thriving off of this growing chasm between him and his former pal.

But perhaps this led to Brown being too deep in his own head that he wasn't able to find his rhythm on the offensive end after getting into foul trouble. The 76ers will need him to play better, and now, he has two months to simmer down as he awaits another opportunity to face the Celtics — this time at his former home at TD Garden.