Grant Williams saw his night come to an early end after being ejected in one of the most unusual ways during the Boston Celtics’ 123-107 loss against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Saturday night.
With 1:52 left in the game and the Celtics down 17, Williams was understandably frustrated like many on the Boston side. Likely in an attempt to relieve that frustration, Williams — in what appeared to be an unaware move — punched the basketball which bounced off the rim and flew into the stands after Stephen Curry took a point 3-pointer prior to a Warriors’ timeout.
NBA official Scott Foster, who stood behind Williams, instantly ejected the 24-year-old, as seen on video, courtesy of NBC Sports Boston.
“We’ll have a discussion about it,” Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla said, according to CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning.
During the live ESPN broadcast, rules analyst Steve Javie, a longtime NBA official, provided some clarity for those confused like Williams.
“When the ball enters the stands with force like that, it’s an automatic ejection,” Javie said, according to NBC Sports Boston.
Much like the Celtics, Williams wasn’t very effective, and as a result, finished with just four points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field with two rebounds in 31 minutes.
Williams and the Celtics (21-6) will seek a bounce-back effort when they return to action on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers (15-13). Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
