Grant Williams, a forward with the Boston Celtics, has been given an unpaid one-game suspension for making contact with a referee during Tuesday’s 120-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls. According to the NBA, he will serve the ban on Friday night when Boston plays home to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Williams was dismissed from the game in the fourth quarter and given a technical foul for “recklessly making contact with and directing disrespectful comments toward a game official,” according to an official statement from the NBA.
Early in the fourth quarter, Zach LaVeine attempted to drive to the basket when the referee called Williams for a charge while the Celtics had the ball and a blocking penalty.
In the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 120-102 defeat to Chicago on Monday night, the referee called Williams for an offensive blocking violation while guarding Zach LaVine. He was then assessed a technical foul and dismissed from the game.
According to a pool reporter, he jumped in protest and made what crew leader Marc Davis described as “intended physical contact” with referee Cheryl Flores after the game.
Williams instantly stood up after being warned for the defensive foul, making contact with the referee with the side of his body. Despite the apparent lack of intention in the incident, he assessed a technical penalty and was expelled.
In the third quarter, head coach Joe Mazzulla was also dismissed from the contest. While simulating as though he was about to slam the ball onto the floor, Nikola Vuevi protested getting called for a foul against Jaylen Brown, but the officials didn’t give him a technical for it.
Mazzulla complained to the referees about the no-call and was given two technical fouls.
Williams and Mazzulla’s dismissals were part of a bad night for the Celtics. With victories against the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, the defending Eastern Conference champions had a stellar 3-0 start.
Early on, it appeared that the Celtics would trounce the Bulls. They went on a 12-0 run to start the game and increased their lead to 19 points in the first period.
In the second quarter, Chicago shifted the game’s balance, outscoring the opposition 35-15 and leading by 11 points at the half. The Celtics suffered their first defeat after being limited to 48 points in the second half.
Williams was kept without a point on three field-goal tries in 18 minutes on Wednesday despite averaging 12.7 points per game in the first three outings.
Williams won’t be there for the Celtics’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday at TD Garden.