Watch CBS News

Robb: Crowder Makes Amends After Untimely Technical Foul Against Wizards

BOSTON (CBS) – Last Sunday, Jae Crowder was a harsh critic of teammate Marcus Smart when the second-year guard foolishly fouled Mario Chalmers in the final minute of a one-possession game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Smart and Crowder quickly patched things up after that disagreement, but this past Saturday night, it was Crowder who made a costly mistake during a crunch-time situation.

With the Celtics leading by four points, the veteran small forward was whistled for a technical foul with 22 seconds remaining in the Celtics' 119-117 win over the Wizards. Crowder got into a verbal tiff with some members of the Wizards bench, including head coach Randy Wittman and referee Tony Brothers caught the swingman in the act.

"I feel like he was getting away with a lot of curse words and inappropriate words to me, and I retaliated and I got hit," Crowder told reporters ESPN.com. "Tony said he didn't hear anything from Wittman. I'm not going to outburst on a coach and say something like that for no reason."

Crowder's ill-advised mistake gave the Wizards four consecutive free throws (on top of John Wall's 3-point shooting foul), helping them tie up the game the contest in the game's closing seconds. Luckily for Boston, Crowder made amends for the mishap by scoring a layup on the Celtics' final possession to help them escape with the win.

"I took the blame," Crowder said of his involvement. "They hit the free throws on the technical foul. We called a timeout. And I told the guys I'd take the blame: 'I apologize. But we're still going to win the game.'"

Crowder's confidence in overcoming the moment is indicative of his steady play of late. He's averaging 18.8 points per game in the month of January after posting 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Boston's third straight win.

He'll get a chance to keep the solid play rolling on Monday night when facing off with his former team in Dallas, as the Celtics try to extend their winning streak to four.

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.