Grant Williams stepped up to help the Boston Celtics neutralize Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on Sunday night. Now, he wants a new nickname in honor of the performance.
Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, shot just 5-for-19 in the first half and 8-for-23 for the game to finish with 23 points. His 34.8% field goal percentage marked his lowest in a game this season.
Celtics-Nuggets takeaways: Brown finding his groove as C's dominance continues
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Williams played a significant role in Jokic's struggles. The 23-year-old played rock-solid defense and made the highlight reel with an emphatic block on the man nicknamed "the Joker".
After the Celtics' 124-104 win, Jaylen Brown informed the media of Williams' new self-proclaimed nickname.
"Grant did a great job," Brown said of Williams' defense on Jokic. "He wanted me to tell the media he wants his nickname to be Batman. I said I don’t know about that one Grant."
"Grant played great tonight. But I'm going to call him Grant, not no damned Batman," Jayson Tatum said about Williams' nickname request.
OK, so the Batman nickname may not catch on, but Williams' performance vs. the Joker was impressive nonetheless. He also stood out offensively with 13 points off the bench.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Williams and the C's will look to keep it rolling when they visit the Oklahoma Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back. Boston has won all three of its games on its trip out west by 20 points or more.
