Grant Williams Missed Two Free Throws To Beat The Cavs After Telling Donovan Mitchell He’d ‘Make Em Both’

The end to regulation in Cleveland was wild on Monday night, as the Boston Celtics, coming off a double overtime loss to the Knicks on Sunday, found themselves once again facing the threat of overtime after Cleveland clawed their way back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

After a questionable call (which was upheld on review) on Grant Williams allowed Donovan Mitchell to tie the game with a pair of free throws, Williams got a chance at redemption after he got fouled with 0.8 seconds left on a putback attempt. That sent him to the line needing just one make to win the game and avoid having back-to-back overtime games, and prior to the free throws, Mitchell stood in front of him and tried to get in his head with some words. Williams responded “I’ma make ’em both,” as the broadcast captured.

That was, unfortunately for Williams, not correct as he managed to rim out both attempts to the delight of the Cavs and the dismay of Grant and the Celtics.

Much like Sunday against the Knicks, things would not go the way of the Celtics in overtime. Boston could only muster five points in the additional period, all coming by way of Jaylen Brown, and Cleveland found an unlikely hero in Lamar Stevens, as he had five of the Cavs’ nine points in the overtime to win a 118-114 thriller. It’s the third consecutive loss to the Celtics, and while they were without key contributors like Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, it continues a concerning trend of Boston blowing leads late in games.