Grant Williams pulled a move Friday that would make the Point God proud.
To end the first quarter of Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, 76ers guard DeAnthony Melton missed on a halfcourt heave. When the ball ricocheted back to him, Melton gave it a little absent-minded kick. The seemingly inconsequential move drew the attention of the Celtics forward Williams, who immediately snitched on Melton to the referees.
Take a look.
Grant Williams really snitched to the ref on De'Anthony Melton for this 🤣pic.twitter.com/FlZhwg846S
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 6, 2023
Why was Williams so eager to point out that Melton had kicked the ball? NBA rules stipulate that any player who intentionally kicks the ball (or strikes it with any part of the leg) commits a violation punishable by a technical foul.
The officials did indeed assess the automatic technical foul on Melton after Williams had pointed the violation out. The Celtics thus got a free throw to start the second quarter, which star forward Jayson Tatum shot and made.
Doris Burke, calling the game on ESPN, noted that the referees might not have even noticed the violation if Williams had not called their attention to it. Burke also drew a comparison to Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, who is known for “snitching” on opponents who violate the rules (like he did this notable time).
More so than any NBA player (even Paul), Williams probably knows the kicked-ball rule best. After all, he got himself ejected from a game earlier this season for committing a similar violation.
