Jayson Tatum had a pretty funny reaction to his first career ejection

BOSTON -- A frustrating night against the Knicks ended early for Jayson Tatum, as the Celtics forward was ejected for the first time of his career late in the fourth quarter of the 109-94 Boston loss.

It wasn't a four-letter word that got Tatum the boot. It was actually a compliment that he tried to give the officiating crew.

Now, there is a difference between saying something and actually meaning what you say. That's something we all learn at an early age, but it's hard to resist the urge when you've got a really good sarcastic response ready to go.

And chances are that Tatum wasn't being completely honest when he told JB DeRosa that he and his crew were doing a great job. The delivery -- and not the message -- of that statement earned Tatum his second technical foul of the night and his the first career eviction from a game.

Tatum and the Celtics were having a rough night in New York from the jump, with the Knicks racing out to a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Tatum's shot was off throughout, with the Boston star hitting just six of his 18 attempts from the floor. And while the Celtics chipped away at New York's lead on a few occasions in the second half, it was clear that it just wasn't going to happen for Boston.

While their 3-point shooting was dreadful, with the Celtics hitting just nine of their 43 attempts from downtown, it was the free throw discrepancy that really miffed Boston's players. The Knicks made 34 trips to the charity stripe, while the Celtics attempted just 14 freebies. The Knicks were the much more aggressive team and earned their free throws by attacking the basket.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla held back after the loss, but said that Monday night was very different from Saturday night's win over the 76ers, when Philadelphia had 35 free throws to Boston's 12.

"How can I say this without getting in trouble," Mazzulla said before a long pause. "It wasn't the same as the Philly game."

Tatum had just one of Boston's free-throw attempts on Monday, and it wasn't from putting his head down and attacking the basket. His only free throw came after a Knicks technical foul.

Tatum thought that he should have gone to the line a lot more throughout the game, but the officiating crew didn't agree. Tatum picked up his first technical late in the third quarter when he jawed with an official after a no-call on a dunk. He was tagged with his second shortly after not getting a call on a 3-point attempt when Julius Randle made contact with his arm. After New York's Josh Hart drained a three on New York's next possession, Tatum delivered his bit of sarcastic praise for DeRosa and his crew.

That earned him an early trip to the showers.

"It's tough," Tatum said of the calls. "The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul. And those are the ones that's tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about. The second one, I just told him this was probably the best-officiated game I've been a part of.

"I tried to give him a compliment. Didn't go over so well," Tatum joked. "I said it was the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I meant it."

Monday's loss was the third straight game where Tatum's shot struggled to find nylon. He's gone just 22-for-60 from the floor since exploding for a record 55 points in the NBA All-Star Game, and his 3-point shot has been nails on a chalkboard, with Tatum shooting just 7-for-29 from downtown the last three games. 

He was a woeful 1-for-9 from three on Monday, and his 14 points against the Knicks are tied for his second-fewest this season.

At least Tatum kept his sense of humor after the loss, which dropped Boston percentage points behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"All the great players get thrown out a few times in their career," said Tatum. "So, it's good for my rep."

Tatum is hoping that some home cooking will help get him out of this mini-slump. The Celtics will play their first home game in two weeks on Wednesday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to Boston, part of a three-game homestand. After the Brooklyn Nets visit TD Garden on Friday, those pesky New York Knicks will be in town Sunday evening.