Ex-Celtics forward ejected after flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum

Grant Williams was ejected in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ win over the Hornets on Friday night after a hard foul on Jayson Tatum. The former teammates are friends off the court, but Williams showed no regard for the Celtics star in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

With 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, Tatum dribbled up the court after corralling a missed shot from Miles Bridges. Williams made a beeline for Tatum from the side of the court and hit him with his shoulder at full speed as he tried to thwart a Celtics transition opportunity. Tatum immediately hit the field after the hard contact and was horrified by the contact after pulling up. Officials went to video review to take a second look at the foul, while Jaylen Brown had to be restrained by assistant coach Tony Dobbins as he yelled at Williams after the play.

After a lengthy review, the personal foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2 foul and Williams was ejected from the game. The sequence helped Boston clinch the victory as it resulted in a five-point possession in which Tatum hit the two free throws for the flagrant foul and then added three more free throws after drawing a shooting foul on LaMelo Ball on the ensuing possession.

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It wasn’t the first run-in with Williams between his former teammates on the court, as a hard foul last season in a Mavericks-Celtics game also drew the ire of Brown. He also had his fair share of controversial plays this past year, including a ejection that drew criticism from Draymond Green last year.

Friday’s sequence sets the stage for an exciting rematch Saturday night when the Celtics face the Hornets again in Charlotte less than 24 hours after a 124-109 victory.