Jae Crowder had second thoughts about venting on Twitter about his disappointment with TD Garden fans for cheering Utah’s Gordon Hayward prior to the Celtics’ win over the Jazz on Tuesday.

Most inflammatory was a tweet suggesting he wouldn’t mind leaving Boston. Crowder was hurt by the crowd’s affection for an impending free agent who plays the same position.

When the Utah starters were announced Tuesday night, the first four Jazz players were booed heartily. Hayward was last off the bench, and though the crowd’s mood lightened noticeably, the actual cheering was minimal.

Crowder responded well to the perceived slight with 21 points, including a career-high tying five 3-pointers. He later admitted the moment drove his play.

“I heard the cheering before the game. I didn’t like that at all,” said Crowder. “I think that was a sign of disrespect to me from the fans. That sparked a little fire in me.”

Crowder later posted his displeasure on Twitter as well, writing, “HOME TEAM FANS CHEERING FOR THE OPPOSING PLAYERS NOW.. AW MAN OK… SMH BUT GOOD WIN FELLAS ONTO THE NEXT ONE.!!”

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When a Dallas fan posted that Crowder should return to the Mavericks, he said he wouldn’t mind leaving Boston.

By the time he saw Brad Stevens on Wednesday morning, the Celtics’ forward appeared to be tired of the Twitter storm he started.

The Celtics’ coach, in a radio interview, expressed both surprise at Crowder’s words and a belief that Crowder still enjoys being a Celtic.

“I talked to Jae this morning and the first thing he said was, obviously, he wished that he wouldn’t have expressed himself like that,” said Stevens. “But we talk all the time about embracing the expectations of being an athlete here in Boston … A lot of our guys have embraced that. I don’t know that anybody has embraced it as much as Jae over the last few years.”

Stevens said he was surprised when he read what Crowder wrote.

“I told him that this morning because, every day that he comes in, you can tell that he’s thankful to be a Celtic, and every time we have that talk about how you represent Boston as an athlete and how tough you have to be to be well-liked here, I’ve always thought that Jae represented the best of that,” Stevens said.

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Boston’s roster, though, is not in stone approaching next month’s trade deadline, especially with Danny Ainge on his never-ending search for a deal. Crowder, like Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, has a particularly team-friendly contract that can easily be traded.

The Celtics have also been known to be interested in Hayward in the past. The forward was the best player Stevens ever coached at Butler, and is a strong fit for the Celtics’ brand of pace and space basketball.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

ROCKETS 118, THUNDER 116: James Harden scored 26 points and Nene made two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining as Houston beat Oklahoma City for its sixth straight win.

Houston overcame Russell Westbrook’s 49 points, though the star guard struggled down the stretch.

Nene was fouled by Jerami Grant as he attempted a shot right under the basket, setting up the winning free throws.

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HAWKS 99, PELICANS 94: Dennis Schroder scored 23 points as visiting Atlanta beat New Orleans to win its fifth straight, even as shooting guard Kyle Korver spent the entire game on the bench amid reports he could be traded to Cleveland.

PACERS 121, NETS 109: Jeff Teague had 21 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, and Myles Turner finished with 25 points and 15 boards as Indiana beat visiting Brooklyn for its fourth consecutive victory.

PISTONS 115, HORNETS 114: Marco Belinelli’s bank shot at the buzzer was disallowed because it came too late, and Detroit beat visiting Charlotte.

RAPTORS 101, JAZZ 93: Kyle Lowry scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as Toronto rallied at home.

NOTES

HEAT: Justise Winslow’s torn right labrum was repaired Thursday, and the forward will need to be in a sling for six weeks before beginning rehabilitation. The Heat believe Winslow will miss the remainder of the season.


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