Ex-Celtics striker sent off after serious foul on Jayson Tatum

Grant Williams was sent off in the fourth quarter of the Celtics' win over the Hornets on Friday night after a hard foul on Jayson Tatum. The former teammates are friends off the field, but Williams showed no regard for the Celtics star in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

With 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, Tatum dribbled down the court after blocking a missed shot by Miles Bridges. Williams ran straight at Tatum from the side of the court and hit him with his shoulder at full speed as he tried to thwart a Celtics substitution opportunity. Tatum immediately landed on the field after the hard contact and was dismayed by the contact after pulling himself up. Officials went to video review to take a second look at the foul, while Jaylen Brown had to be restrained by assistant coach Tony Dobbins as he yelled at Williams after the play.

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 secure the victory as it led to a five-point possession where Tatum hit the two free throws for the flagrant foul and then added three more free throws after picking up a shooting foul on LaMelo Ball on the ensuing possession had.

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It wasn't the first on-court clash between Williams and his former teammates, as a hard foul in a Mavericks-Celtics game last season also drew the ire of Brown. He's also had a number of controversial appearances over the past year, including an ejection that drew criticism from Draymond Green last year.

Friday's sequence sets the stage for an exciting rematch Saturday night when the Celtics face the Hornets again in Charlotte less than 24 hours after a 124-109 win.