Mazzulla, C’s players react to Grant Williams’ hard foul on Jayson Tatum originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White aptly summed up Friday’s game vs. the Charlotte Hornets in just a few words during his postgame interview.
“That stuff at the end was BS, but we got the win,” he told NBC Sports Boston’s Kayla Burton.
Boston earned a 124-109 victory in Charlotte, but the final result was overshadowed by a chippy fourth quarter. Former Celtic Grant Williams was ejected with a Flagrant 2 after body-checking his ex-teammate Jayson Tatum. The Celtics star immediately got up and went to the free throw line, but Jaylen Brown was visibly upset with Williams’ antics.
“I’m glad that (Tatum’s) fine,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “What I like most is how he jumped right up, didn’t lay around, it didn’t really faze him. Just got right up, went to the foul line, and did his business.
“I just like how JT handled it,” he added. “It was great. To get hit like that, pop right back up, it’s big time.”
The Hornets continued to melt down from there. Shortly after Williams’ ejection, LaMelo Ball fouled out after being hit with a Flagrant 1, and Miles Bridges was tossed after getting a double-technical. All of this occurred in the final 2:02 of the game.
Williams later stated that his hard foul was unintentional and Tatum is one of his close friends. Brown isn’t so sure about that anymore.
“I don’t know what that was about. I think that spoke for itself,” Brown said. “That wasn’t a basketball play. Grant knows better than that. … There’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and Grant were friends. I guess not.”
Brown also isn’t buying Williams’ claim that the foul was unintentional.
“It was for sure intentional,” he said. “What are we talking about? Did ya’ll see the same play? He hit him like it was a football play, Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something.”
It remains to be seen whether Williams will face discipline for his controversial play.
We can expect more fireworks when these two teams face off again Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Coverage begins on NBC Sports Boston at 5:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live.
