The Boston Celtics (43-22) came to San Antonio (48-17) expecting a heavyweight matchup.

Instead, much of the conversation afterward centered on a controversial moment that ended Jaylen Brown’s night far earlier than anyone anticipated.

Brown was ejected late in the second quarter of Boston’s 125-116 loss to the Spurs on Tuesday after picking up two technical fouls within seconds - a sequence that quickly became the defining moment of the game.

The incident began with 3:38 remaining in the first half.

Brown lost the ball near the sideline while being defended by Stephon Castle, and officials ruled the play out of bounds without calling a foul. Brown immediately protested the decision, believing Castle had made contact that knocked him off balance.

Replay showed some contact on Brown’s hip, but the officiating crew did not see enough in the moment to warrant a whistle.

Brown directed his frustration toward crew chief Tyler Ford and was quickly assessed a technical foul. As he continued arguing, teammates Derrick White and Sam Hauser stepped in to try to pull him away from the situation.

But before the moment could cool down, a second whistle sounded.

This time the technical came from another official, Suyash Mehta, who issued a second technical foul from the opposite side of the court - triggering an automatic ejection.

The decision only escalated the situation. Brown remained visibly furious, briefly pushing past teammates as he continued to argue before members of the Celtics’ security staff and head coach Joe Mazzulla eventually guided him toward the locker room.

By the time Brown exited the floor, the Celtics’ narrow lead had shrunk to a single point.

The fallout from the ejection lingered well after the final buzzer.

Brown continued expressing frustration about the sequence on social media, while Mazzulla offered his own pointed reaction after the game - one that carried his typical mix of sarcasm and support for his players.

“I just give a ton of credit to my high school principal,” Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. “He had the balls to throw a student out. He didn’t leave it to the hall monitor.”

The comment appeared to reference the unusual nature of the second technical being issued by a third official rather than the crew chief.

When asked to clarify, Mazzulla didn’t offer any meaningful context.

“He was a hell of a principal,” he added.

Despite the humor, the Celtics coach made clear where he stood.

“I understand completely where Jaylen was coming from,” said Mazzulla. “Absolutely. I’ve got his back 100%. I think he was 100% right to be frustrated and do what he did.”

The Celtics now turn their focus to a quick turnaround against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15), but the debate around Brown’s ejection is unlikely to fade anytime soon.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.