Brooklyn Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. made the biggest blunder of this 2026-27 NBA season at the end of their 125-124 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Tuesday. The Nets had seemed in position to pick up a shock upset win over the Celtics when they had possession and led 124-123 with 6.1 seconds remaining.

All the Nets had to do was inbound the ball, hold on to it, and get fouled, but they only did the first part right. Noah Clowney inbounded the ball to Brown, who went for a layup and missed.

Mikel Brown Jr. Then Gets The Inbound With Six Seconds Left.

The Nets Are Winning. There’s Zero Need To Shoot. And He Takes A Contested Layup Anyway… And Misses.

Right After One Of The Biggest Mistakes Of Your Career, You Do This?

Are You Kidding Me? 🤯

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 28, 2026

Shades of De’Aaron Fox in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, anyone? Fox going for the layup instead of holding the ball cost the Spurs that game, and the same happened with the Nets here.

Jayson Tatum drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater at the other end, dropping the Nets to 0-4 on the season. Brown was unsurprisingly asked about his decision postgame and explained why he went for the layup.

“I mean, I did see the open lane,” Brown said, via YES Network. “I thought I had a layup, but I mean the ball was kind of already slipping out of my hands and [Paul George] was already coming towards my right side. So I felt like if I didn’t go up with it, I kind of was going to fall out of bounds. So that was my last resort, in all honesty, but I can’t make an excuse.

“There’s a lot of plays down the stretch that I messed up on, that I take full accountability for, and I’m gonna be better,” Brown added.

Brown actually made what looked like the biggest play of the night at the end of regulation. The Celtics were up 117-114 with 2.7 seconds remaining, and the 20-year-old drilled a three-pointer to send the game to overtime.

That gave Brown, the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, 13 points in the fourth quarter, and he had all the momentum heading into overtime. The former Louisville star would sink a deep three-pointer to give the Nets a 124-119 lead in the extra period, but that was the only shot he made in it.

Brown went 1-6 from the field in overtime. He shockingly missed an open layup before making that late-game blunder as well. As for that final Nets possession, Brown was asked whether it was discussed beforehand that they needed to dribble the clock out.

“It was discussed to just try to get it in and try to kill the time,” Brown said. “That definitely was discussed, but I mean, like I said, man, it’s just mistakes down the stretch that I just can’t make. I just can’t do that.”

Rookies ultimately make mistakes all the time. What matters is that they learn from them and bounce back, which is what Brown plans on doing.

“That one is on me, Brooklyn,” Brown wrote. “I’mma shake back I promise y’all dat.”

THAT ONE IS ON ME BROOKLYN! IMMA SHAKE BACK I PROMISE YALL DAT💯

— Mikel Brown Jr (@MikelBrownJr1) October 28, 2026

Brown finished the night with 17 points (5-17 FG), five rebounds, and five assists. It was the best game of his young career, and he’ll look to build on it when the Nets take on the Detroit Pistons next at Barclays Center on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.