The game between the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night was tightly-contested and the game was in the balance until the final minutes. At the end of the game, tempers flared on both sides as multiple ejections were handed down while the Celtics pulled away in a 124-109 win.
Former Celtic and current Hornets forward Grant Williams was ejected first after he was given a Flagrant 2 foul for running over Jayson Tatum on a Boston fast break. Interestingly, there was no altercation that followed the hit, as Tatum got up immediately and walked away.
Shortly after that, Miles Bridges was also tossed for swatting a ball into the stands during a dead ball. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was also given a technical foul during the fourth quarter, so the officials were forced to keep their head on a swivel throughout.
After the game, Celtics guard Derrick White didn't hide his frustration with Williams and the hard foul on Tatum in his postgame interview on NBC Sports Boston.
"The stuff at the end was BS, but we got the win" @Kay_Breezy22 caught up with Derrick White after the Celtics got the win over the Hornets, and he gave his reaction to Grant Williams' cheap shot on Tatum Presented by @NEFordDealers
“The stuff at the end was BS, but we got the win,” White said.
White later added more fuel to the fire, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
“He’s too damn big to be doing stuff like that,” White said, per King.
Celtics rolling early in 2024-25
One thing is for certain with this Boston Celtics team: there is no championship hangover. Joe Mazzulla and company have cruised out to a 5-1 start this season and are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference.
The other presumed contenders in the Eastern Conference are off to poor starts: the Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with injuries, the New York Knicks are building chemistry after their big trade this offseason and the Milwaukee Bucks are really struggling to start the season. Even the Orlando Magic, who were a dark horse contender, lost Paolo Banchero to injury for an extended period earlier this week. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers look like they're up to the task so far.
Of course, that can change at any time, but they are all chasing the Celtics right now. Boston has shown that it can win with or without its best basketball. We saw the Celtics' best on opening night, when they tied the all-time single game three-point record in a win against the Knicks. They also nearly pulled out a win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday after playing a very poor game, and were able to get the job done against the Hornets despite not bringing their best until late in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics' starting five is as good as it gets, and they don't even have Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup yet. When their sharpshooting big man comes back, it's going to be nearly impossible to stop this team from getting whatever they want from the three-point line. That will make them even tougher to beat.
