Grant Williams irked plenty of his former Celtics teammates with a reckless foul on Jayson Tatum late in Boston’s win Friday night.
Jaylen Brown following the contest repeatedly ripped into Grant Williams, who received an automatic ejection due to his flagrant 2 foul, for decking Tatum, calling it a “football play, like Ray Lewis coming across the middle.” Brown also had words for Williams on the floor in the immediate aftermath of the play.
But Brown getting a measure of revenge and teaching Williams a lesson will have to wait for the Celtics star.
The Celtics ruled out Brown due to a left hip flexor strain for Saturday’s rematch against the Charlotte Hornets. It is the first game Brown will miss this season.
“Just kind of aching him the last few games or so,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters prior to tipoff, per NBC Sports Boston. “Day-to-day. See how he feels. He’s been playing through it for a little while, so see how he just goes every day.”
The injury for Brown, who is averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, could be an explanation for his struggles from long-range this season. Brown over the last three games missed 20-of-21 3-point attempts as he’s shooting just 26.3% from beyond the arc on the campaign.
Brown getting the second game of a back-to-back to rest while dealing with this ailment is a smart move by the Celtics even if he wants to send a message to Williams on the floor.
But Brown will have another opportunity to do so when the Celtics close out the regular season with two straight games against the Hornets at TD Garden.
