Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams has always been something of an instigator, but he crossed the line against his former team on Friday night. Late in the Hornets’ 124-109 loss to the Boston Celtics, Williams was ejected for a flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum.
With just over two minutes remaining, Miles Bridges missed a layup and the Celtics took off the other way. As Tatum was racing up the middle of the court, Williams came charging in from the blindside and body checked Tatum to the ground. Tatum didn’t take offense to the foul, which ensured that the situation defused quickly.
The officials went to the monitor to review the play and upgraded it to a flagrant-2 foul, which results in an automatic ejection.
“After review, Grant Williams accelerates, makes a significant impact to the dribbler, and [makes] a non-basketball play [with] potential for injury,” crew chief James Williams said. “Because of these reasons the play has been upgraded to a flagrant foul penalty two.”
Williams told the media after the game that his hit on Tatum was not intentional.
“Not trying to hurt anybody. We all know that’s one of my closest friends in the league,” Williams told NBC Sports Boston.
“[Jaylen Brown] kind of escalated it, but I understand he’s trying to protect his teammate. But that’s [Tatum] my dog. No matter what I got his back. … No malice or any issue with that.”
Brown, who was upset in the moment expressed further frustration during his media session.
“Like, what are we talking about? Y’all see the same play that I was seeing?” Brown said. “He hit him like it was a football play. Like, Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant know better than that.
“I thought JT and Grant was friends. … I guess not.”
The ejection of Williams, who played his first four NBA seasons with the Celtics, was the start of a total meltdown for the Hornets. After Tatum made both free throws, star point guard LaMelo Ball got into Tatum’s landing space on a 3-point attempt and fouled out. That play was also upgraded to a flagrant foul, and Tatum made three more free throws. Payton Pritchard was then fouled on the ensuing inbound and made one of two free throws, which gave the Celtics a six-point possession. In the blink of an eye they went from up nine to up 15, and the Hornets’ slim chances of a comeback were over.
To make matters worse, Bridges was assessed a technical foul and ejected from the game with less than a minute to play for volleyball spiking the ball into the stands.
The Hornets, who were without Brandon Miller for this game, have some young talent and hung with the Celtics for most of the night. But the end of the fourth quarter was another reminder that they still have a lot of room to grow. With the defeat, they fell to 2-3 on the season.
As for the Celtics, they are now 5-1, with four of those wins coming by double-digits, and are off to a great start in their title defense. Tatum, who was on the receiving end of multiple flagrant fouls, finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals in another stellar outing to start this campaign.