Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Sixers-Celtics Game 7 gets chippy

By Sean Keane | Last updated 5/14/23

Boston and Philadelphia are battling for a trip to the conference finals. Literally.

Jaylen Brown was the victim of two extracurricular plays from the 76ers in Game 7. First, James Harden hit Brown in the nose when he drove to the rim. Harden was given a flagrant foul and a technical.

James Harden was assessed a Flagrant 1 for this play. pic.twitter.com/ye5oX06mUg
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2023

Brown played the rest of the half with a plug in his nose to stop the bleeding.

Jaylen Brown with the bloody nose after the Flagrant 1 foul by Harden pic.twitter.com/mcUaCQmOn8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 14, 2023

That didn’t stop him from being aggressive, even toward the Sixers bench. Later in the quarter, Philadelphia’s Georges Niang grabbed Brown’s leg from his seat on the bench to keep him from running down court. Brown stopped and began yelling at the bench. Both players received technical fouls.

Jaylen Brown and Georges Niang were both given a technical foul after Niang appeared to grab Brown's leg from the bench. pic.twitter.com/rBwelUVROZ
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2023

Brown had 13 points at halftime, seemingly unbothered by his nostril blockage. It might feel like nothing to him, after he played so many games with a protective mask this season.

Jaylen Brown says he could stop wearing the mask in a few days if he wanted to, but his mom wants him to keep wearing it so he’ll probably keep it on. pic.twitter.com/2Ynx5zuU52
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) March 27, 2023

Boston led by three points at halftime, behind Brown and Jayson Tatum. Boston outscored Philly 28-17 after Harden’s flagrant foul, proving that crime doesn’t pay.

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