The Boston Celtics took on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in the first of a two-game mini-series at Spectrum Center this weekend. Despite a valiant effort and some nice runs from the Hornets, Boston got the job done, picking up a 124-109 win. But the game was marred by a flurry of antics at the end of the contest.
Late in the fourth quarter, Grant Williams bulled over Jayson Tatum at half-court as he was dribbling up the floor. Tatum immediately popped up, clearly frustrated, and Jaylen Brown was furious, eager to defend his teammate. Williams was assessed a Flagrant 2 for the play and ejected from the game.
Derrick White had some thoughts on the moment after the game.
Derrick White did not appreciate Grant Williams
During his post-game, walk-off interview, White called out the Hornets for their plays late in the fourth.
"That stuff at the end was BS," White said via Marc D’Amico of the Celtics.
"That stuff at the end was BS," Derrick White says to @Kay_Breezy22 during their walk-off interview.
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 2, 2024
White is referencing a Flagrant 2 by Grant Williams (ejected), a Flagrant 1 by LaMelo Ball (fouled out), and then a double-tech on Miles Bridges (ejected), all in the final 2:02.
Williams’ dangerous play against Tatum wasn’t the only issue at the end of the game, either. LaMelo Ball got in on the action, too.
Tatum went up for a three late in the fourth, and Ball closed out far too closely. His feet ended up in Tatum’s landing zone, and he was handed a Flagrant 1 for the play. (Ball also fouled out on the play.)
That wasn’t Ball’s first questionable act of the game, though. Earlier on in the contest, as he and Luke Kornet were battling down low, Ball dragged the big man down by his jersey.
Kornet went crashing to the floor, and Ball was called for the foul, but it could have easily been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 had the referees decided to look at the play on the replay monitor.
Throw in a pair of technical fouls for the head coaches—Charles Lee and Joe Mazzulla—and this game was full of wild endeavors.
White’s recollection of Williams’ foul on Tatum and Ball’s reckless close-out sums up the game fairly well, especially regarding Williams’ play.
Just a couple of short years ago, Williams was on the Celtics, and he’s still close friends with Tatum. Seeing him barrel into Tatum so harshly was certainly shocking, and the ejection was definitely warranted.
It’s rare that White expresses himself with colorful language (“BS” is the closest thing we’ll probably get from White in that regard), so to hear him call out the actions means something.
The Celtics and Hornets will square off again on Saturday, so there could be some extra bad blood that spoils over into the next day.