Russell Westbrook did not play in Friday’s game against the Celtics but he still made his presence felt as the contest came to a close after a controversial shot by Chris Boucher.
The Celtics handily defeated the Kings 112-93 at TD Garden but they got extra three points as time expired as backup big man Chris Boucher put up an uncontested 3-point shot instead of dribbling out the clock.
The shot attempt drew the ire of Westbrook who charged onto the court once the game ended and began chirping at Boucher and other members of the Celtics.
“They were just upset for shooting the last shot,”Pritchard said after the game.
Boucher was playing in his first game for Boston since Nov. 23 and had missed his first two 3-point attempts of the night. On the game’s final possession, he asked for the ball from Josh Minott, who had been dribbling out the clock by halfcourt.
After officials and other players attempted to de-escalate the situation at halfcourt, Boucher ultimately made contact with Westbrook to chat for several seconds. His explanation for the attempt appeared to calm Westbrook down and the two players headed back to their locker room with no further issues.
Joe Mazzulla attempted to downplay the situation after the game.
“I didn’t see it,” Mazzulla said. “I just walked away. What are you gonna do?”
Friday’s game was the final matchup between the two teams this season so there should be no fallout from the situation moving forward this year at least. Boston will wrap up their homestand at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon when they host the Bucks.