Joe Mazzulla makes his feelings abundantly clear on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's heated tussle with Hawks players

Joe Mazzulla clapped on the sidelines as his Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scuffled against the Atlanta Hawks. Mazzulla refused to step in as Tatum got tangled with Onyeka Okongwu. The coach stood in the middle and repeatedly kept saying, “Let’s go,” as Brown had to be restrained from going after the Hawks center.

After the game, Mazzulla had this to say when asked by a reporter if he enjoyed the skirmish:

“Yeah. It’s a competitive nature, it’s a fight. … You need to show a level of spirit and we did that. You got to feed off that. It’s a representation of the Celtics and the mindset that we're trying to have.”

The scuffle happened at the 3:46 mark in overtime. After De’Andre Hunter missed a 27-footer, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum and Onyeka Okongwu battled for the rebound. The referee called a jump ball between Tatum and Okongwu, but both refused to give up the ball, causing the commotion. Once Taco Jay had been separated, Jaylen Brown joined the skirmish.

After review, the referees did not call a technical foul on any player. Had Tatum received one, he would have been ejected after a technical foul in the second quarter. Okongwu also stayed in the game and scored crucial free throws to help the Hawks win the game and the season series against the Celtics.

The defending champs, playing on short rest and without Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, started hot. They raced to a 33-21 lead after the first quarter but allowed their visitors to get back into the game. Trae Young’s two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime.

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Jayson Mazzulla’s Celtics are struggling despite All-Star performances from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

The loss to the Atlanta Hawks dropped the Boston Celtics’ record to 29-13. More worryingly for Joe Mazzulla, the defending champs are 8-8 in their last 16 games despite All-Star performances from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

During that stretch, Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Brown contributed 21.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 5.2 APG. In the loss to the Hawks, they combined for 47 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists.

Joe Mazzulla is not worried about their up-and-down stretch. He appreciated how his stars are showing fight despite their struggles.