Ex-Celtic Grant Williams ejected after unnecessary hard foul on Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams have a close friendship.

It didn’t look that way at the end of Boston’s 124-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at the Spectrum Center.

Williams tried to stop Tatum in transition with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, but instead of committing a harmless foul, the former Celtics attacked deliberately ran over the five-time All-Star. The violent collision caused both Williams and Tatum to fall to the floor.

The play was reviewed by the officiating staff and it was deemed a flagrant 2, resulting in Williams being ejected. It was the fifth expulsion for Williams in his career.

Tatum didn’t respond to the cheap shot from Williams, but Jaylen Brown had something to say to his former teammate. Brown confronted Williams while he was still on the ground before the two sides were separated.

It’s unclear why Williams committed such a needless violation, especially on someone with whom he connected during his four seasons with the Celtics.

Tatum, who was on the other end of another flagrant foul seconds later when LaMelo Ball entered his landing zone on a shot, got the last laugh by finishing with a game-high 32 points on 9-for-19 shooting to to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Williams had just six points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.

The matchup between Tatum and Williams is sure to make things interesting on Saturday when the Celtics and Hornets clash at the Spectrum Center.