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Ex-Celtics forward ejected for flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum
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Ex-Celtics forward ejected for flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum

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

With 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, Tatum dribbled onto the court after stopping a missed shot by Miles Bridges. Williams approached Tatum from the side of the court and hit him with his shoulder at full speed while trying to thwart a Celtics transition opportunity. Tatum immediately hit the track after the hard contact and was dismayed by the contact after pulling himself up. Officials went to video review to take another look at the foul, while Jaylen Brown had to be restrained by assistant coach Tony Dobbins as he yelled at Williams after the game.

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 seal the victory as it resulted in a five-point possession with Tatum hitting the two free throws before the flagrant foul and then adding three more free throws after drawing a shooting foul on LaMelo Ball on the ensuing possession .

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

Friday’s series sets the stage for an intriguing rematch on Saturday night when the Celtics face the Hornets again in Charlotte, less than 24 hours after a 124-109 win.