Grant Williams wasn't able to finish the Boston Celtics' 123-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night because he was ejected late in the fourth quarter.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry shot a 3-pointer after a whistle for a timeout, and when the ball hit the rim and fell toward Williams, the Celtics forward punched it into the seats at Chase Center.
ESPN rules analyst Steve Javie said on the ABC broadcast that "when the ball enters the stands with force like that it's an automatic ejection."
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Williams seemed surprised at the call, and perhaps he didn't realize that was an automatic ejection. Referee Scott Foster made the call and explained it to Williams.
The ejection was one of many frustrating moments for the Celtics in their first matchup with the Warriors since Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
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These two teams won't meet again until Jan. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.
