Morning Sports Update

‘That’s what I love about them’: Grant Williams praised the TD Garden crowd’s energy

"That’s something you love to have as a team."

Grant Williams TD Garden
Grant Williams during Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

By Hayden Bird

The Red Sox lost to the Angels on Thursday, 5-2. Shohei Ohtani’s pitching and hitting propelled Los Angeles to snap its 14-game losing streak. The Red Sox will be in Seattle tonight for the start of the three-game series against the Mariners at 10:10 p.m.

Also tonight, the Celtics host the Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at 9 p.m. Boston leads the series 2-1.

Grant Williams on the TD Garden crowd: One of the many lingering points of discussion following the Celtics’ Game 3 win in the NBA Finals was the reaction of Warriors players to the TD Garden crowd.

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“Real classy, good job Boston,” Klay Thompson sarcastically quipped after fans serenaded Draymond Green with a chant that included an expletive.

On Thursday, Celtics forward Grant Williams defended the energy of the Boston fans.

“Not the worst things I’ve heard, I feel like,” Williams told reporters following a team practice. “Some of those chants, you just accept. Some people respond to them well, some embrace them; others, they shy away from them.”

“I feel like the Garden fans don’t hold back. That’s what I love about them,” Williams added. “They’re going to be there for you on the positive side, and they’re going to let you know whether you’re doing the right thing or not. When we were losing last year, they were doing the same thing to us. So we respect it.”

Williams noted that the TD Garden crowd — just like the two teams on the court — raised its game for the NBA Finals.

“It was exciting. Not only was the competitive edge there from both teams, but also the energy in the Garden,” he said. “We had the fans behind us. They didn’t shut up. That’s the best part about it. No matter if we had a bad run or good run, they were there the entire time for us. That’s something you love to have as a team.”

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Trivia: Grant Williams’s Tennessee Volunteers lost in the regional semifinal of the 2019 NCAA tournament, ending his college career. What fellow future 2019 Celtics draft pick led the team that beat Williams?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He went to Purdue.

More from Boston.com:

Mac Jones’s press conference from Thursday:

Jalen Rose on why Jaylen Brown’s first quarter was game-changing:

On this day: In 1953, Red Sox right fielder Jimmy Piersall went 6-6 in an 11-2 win over the St. Louis Browns. Boston went on to win the second game of the doubleheader as a well, 3-2.

1953 Red Sox

Daily highlight: Brazilian winger Wesley added a delightful goal onto Palmerias’ dominant 4-0 win over Botafogo on Thursday. The replays are worth watching just to see the perfect placement of the shot.

Trivia answer: Carsen Edwards

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