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 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at 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 forward intentionally ran over the five-time All-Star. The hard collision caused both Williams and Tatum to tumble to the floor.
The play was reviewed by the officiating crew and it was deemed a flagrant 2, resulting in Williams getting kicked out. It was the fifth ejection for Williams in his career.
Tatum didn’t react to the cheap shot by 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 an unnecessary foul, especially on someone he bonded with during his four seasons with the Celtics.
Tatum, who was on the other end of another flagrant foul seconds later when LaMelo Ball got in his landing area on a shot, got the last laugh by finishing with a game-high 34 points on 9-for-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Williams had just six points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.
The encounter between Tatum and Williams surely will make things interesting on Saturday when the Celtics and Hornets collide against the Spectrum Center.
