Grant Williams misses game-winning FTs, claimed he'd ‘make both'

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Sometimes having too much time in sports can be a bad thing.

Just ask Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams, who got a bit too confident in Monday's 118-114 road loss in overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With eight-tenths of a second left in the fourth quarter and the game knotted at 109 apiece, Williams had the chance to ice it by making just one of two free throws. Williams, standing at the free throw line, repeatedly told Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell he'd make both -- only to miss...both.

Williams' first attempt hit the front of the iron and bounced out. The Cavaliers then substituted Darius Garland in for Isaac Okoro to delay Williams' second attempt, which went in and out.

The Cavaliers went on to outscore the C's 9-5 in overtime to claim the win, with Mitchell dropping 40 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 14-for-34 from the field.

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Boston fought until the very end despite Jayson Tatum's absence, but shooting 14-for-21 as a team from the charity stripe definitely played a factor. Williams' two misses were his only attempts in the game where he logged 12 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-6 overall. 

After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla had a simple message for how he'd encourage Williams.

"Just tell him I love him," Mazzulla said. "It's part of the game. He didn't miss them on purpose, just got to be able to move on from it."

The C's are next in action on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers at home, where they'll look to snap a three-game skid.

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