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It was then that the “Let’s Go Celtics!” chants grew louder but so did the disdain of the Lakers fans. That’s when Ted Lorden and his two sons, sitting a few rows above the Celtics bench, were exchanging words with Lakers fans who began pelting insults at Celtics players.

“We went to the game with our Jaylen Brown jerseys knowing we might get some chirping at us,” Lorden, a season-ticket holder, told the Globe. “So during the game, the LA fans were saying a lot of nasty things at the players and we would say things back.”

Some Lakers fans shifted their insults to Lorden and his two sons and the two parties began talking trash as the Celtics were running away to victory. That was not what Lorden had planned.

“I told them you wouldn’t talk like that if you saw these guys somewhere else,” Lorden said. “Then it turned a little personal and they started saying stuff to us and they didn’t like us standing up. And then they really crossed the line with a couple of things I won’t repeat and that’s when we went into the aisle and they went into the aisle.”

Comparable to Yankees-Red Sox or Bruins-Rangers, the two parties faced off against each other during the game, about eight rows up and it nearly became physical. That’s when arena security stepped in and decided to eject Lorden and his two adult sons.

“We thought it was going to be friendly banter for a while but they were down by 25 points so they were getting kind of sour,” he said. “They had been drinking, too, so it kept getting worse. And we weren’t going to have it. It got to that point.”

That’s when the Lordens were kicked out of the arena, and the scene shifted from the blowout game to three Celtics fans walking up to the concourse and other Celtics fans cheering them on as the “Let’s Go Celtics!” chants grew louder. Suddenly a potentially embarrassing moment turned viral when several Celtics players on the bench looked up and saw Lorden, a 20-year season-ticket holder and familiar TD Garden front row fixture, exiting to a mix of boos and cheers.

“A lot of the Celtics fans, because [the Lakers] fans had left, came over to our side and were high-fiving us and the ‘Let’s Go Celtics!’ chants,” he said. “It was kind of funny.”

Many Celtics fans walked up with the Lordens and met them in the concourse for encouragement. Crypto.com security reiterated their clear message to depart the premises.

“It was only a minute left in the game, so it didn’t work out so bad,” he said. “I looked back and I made eye contact with Jaylen and I just gave him a fist bump [from afar]. We’ve been big supporters of him. We love this team and we love to support them.”

The Celtics faithful travel well, but they come to Crypto.com Arena for Boston’s annual visit in hordes.

“We saw them outside because we had jerseys on and they’d come up to you, but they were coming out of the woodwork at the end of the game,” Lorden said. “[The Lakers fans] didn’t like that either. We were just having fun but it turned a little ugly pretty quick but we weren’t going to put up with any of that. We had put up with a lot to that point.”

Ted Lorden and his two sons, wearing No. 7 Boston jerseys in background, photobombed Lakers legends with the Celtics in Los Angeles.Courtesy of Ted Lorden

Lorden said he and his two sons travel to multiple Celtics road games per season and had already visited Milwaukee and Miami. This was their first time visiting Los Angeles to see the Celtics. And it ended unexpectedly but was still a thrill, especially after a dominating Celtics win on a day when a statue of Pat Riley was erected and Lakers’ legends such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in the house.

“I’m an 80’s kid so I grew up on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry,” he said. “It was a dream come true because Pat Riley being honored.”

And to no surprise, Lorden and his sons, sitting in the front row, were able to photo bomb a halftime shot of Riley and the Lakers’ legends at midcourt.

“We had fun,” he said. “My boys, they know don’t cross the line. You have to have respect for the other team and other fans. But [the particular Lakers fans] were disrespectful, especially to the players. We feel like we know a lot of these guys just from being around them, so it was hard to not take it personally. They were doing that the whole game and it was irritating.”

But the Lordens made their point. They represented Celtics faithful, watched their team win and were the leaders of Celtics nation for a day.

“We would do it again,” he said. “It was fun. We had a good time. It was the time of my life.”

Hornets forward Grant Williams, now in his seventh season, has developed into a veteran leader.Nell Redmond/Associated Press

CATCHING UP

Good ol’ Grant stops by

He was on the bench, still taking nights off as he completely recovers from a torn ACL, but Grant Williams had a lot to say — as usual about his Hornets and his time with the Celtics.

Charlotte came to Boston on March 4 and stomped the Celtics, 118-89, using their balance of youth and athleticism to overwhelm Boston with 3-point shooting and paint scoring. Williams was cheering vigorously from the benchas part of a young, rising team for the second time.

Williams spent four seasons with the Celtics, helping the club to the 2022 NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference finals in 2023. He went to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal in the summer of 2023 and then moved to the Hornets in February 2024.

Since he’s been in Charlotte, the club hired new coach Charles Lee and drafted Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel. And former lottery picks LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have developed into cornerstones.

“This team, we always knew we were talented,” Williams said. “It’s just a matter of focusing on the little things that matter, improving every single day. And now you see the growth that LaMelo, Brandon, Kon and the rest of group is showing.”

Williams has paid attention to what’s happening in Boston. The Celtics entered Friday’s game as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Jayson Tatum for 62 games before he made his season debut against the Mavericks.

Jaylen Brown has put the franchise on his shoulders and gotten help from unexpected sources such as Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza. In addition, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have assumed bigger roles.

“They have a whole understanding but the Celtics from a group perspective, they had starters on the bench,” Williams said. “People wrote them off at the beginning of the season, didn’t think they’d be as talented as they are but Jaylen was prepared for this moment.”

“And guys like Derrick White, probably one of the most underrated players in the league before he got here and now that he’s here, I still think he’s underrated, the same with Payton Pritchard. The group has rallied around one another. They compete hard. Joe Mazzulla has coached them super well.”

Williams shared a close relationship with Tatum during their Celtics years and they still talk a few times during the season. When the Celtics and Hornets were both in Houston in early February to play the Rockets, Williams decided to call Tatum and check on his rehabilitation.

Tatum made an improbable return from a torn Achilles after just 10 months.

“I talked to JT a couple of weeks ago, talked about what the process was like, asked him about the returning to play progressions,” he said. “I’m just happy to have him back on the floor. Basketball misses him. I think this team misses him and they’re going to roll with him when he gets back.”

Williams endured a similar rehabilitation journey after tearing his ACL in November 2024. He returned to action on Feb. 10 and has played in 20 games, getting an occasional night off to rest his surgically repaired knee.

“It can get monotonous,” he said of the rehabilitation. “Especially sometimes you feel isolated, lonely. But at the same time I was surrounded by a great support system. I felt really really slow, especially at certain moments when you stop making huge gains.”

“All my friends, I tell them I’m a resource. You can call me. Sometimes you reach out. I called him one day. Talked about 15-20 minutes and I was grateful he was in a great mind space because it can be dark.”

The mental side may be the most difficult. These young men are physically invincible until they’re not. It was the first serious injury of Williams career and he said he started crying in the locker room after he was informed he was seriously hurt.

”Everybody was trying to be optimistic,” Williams said. “My mind is always pessimistic so I thought worst-case scenario. After all those emotions come into your mind, you take it as a challenge.”

Williams is one of the more friendly and affable NBA players and has been accused of talking too much in the locker room. When the Celtics were warring against each other after a Game 2 loss to the Heat in the bubble, Williams tried to intervene. He was told by several teammates and coaches to be quiet.

Now that has changed. At age 27, Williams is a veteran leader on the Hornets. He is encouraged to speak his mind and offer his thoughts because he has been to the Finals. He has enjoyed team success.

“I give a lot of credit to my time in Boston,” he said. “It allowed me to be myself. It allowed me to make mistakes that allowed me to be that young, sporadic, competitive but also crazy young player and I think that has allowed me to step into this role with a lot more security and confidence. I understand you don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room.”

Williams has matured over his years. He’s on his third team. His experience in Dallas was uneven at best. In Charlotte he and his opinions have been welcomed. He is part of the team’s core.

“It’s funny the difference between coming here to Boston and you say a couple of words and everybody yells to you shut the hell up,” he said. “But now everyone tells me to talk more. It’s cool to see how things that has time has gone on but also I just think the building of relationships helps too. When I was here in Boston, I always said that these guys are some of my closest friends, especially in my younger career and it allowed me to be more confident in myself to understand that this is a good environment. It’s polar opposites, you see the Grant Williams of today versus the Grant Williams of 20 years old when I first got here. I would be able to tell you a lot of things.”

As Williams mastered the board game Catan during his time in Boston, he became a sports memorabilia collector during his rehabilitation. He has become a massive card collector and has used the hobby to bond with his fans.

“It’s something I think brings communities together,” he said. “It allows a group of individuals who may not necessarily play on the court to also have the same love for the game. Kind of be GMs off the floor doing a hobby.”

Grizzlies former All-Star guard Ja Morant is unlikely to return this season with an elbow injury.Brandon Dill/Associated Press

With the Grizzlies essentially tanking for a premium draft pick, it will be unlikely Ja Morant will return this season. The club released an update on his sprained right elbow showing progress, but it is not healed. He will be reexamined in two weeks but that may be fruitless to bring the former All-Star back with the Grizzlies already prepping for next season. The club has already shut down center Zach Edey and swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with season-ending surgeries. The organization also dealt two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah. The Grizzlies are stockpiling first-round picks with the trades of Jackson and Desmond Bane. They have two first rounders in 2026 and three in 2027 … The Wizards brought back Trae Young for Thursday’s game against the Jazz, although it’s uncertain how much the point guard will play for the remainder of the season. Anthony Davis, acquired from the Mavericks, is making progress from a ligament injury in his left hand and scheduled to begin one-on-one training. He will be reexamined in two weeks, although it’s likely the Wizards won’t bring him back this season. The plan is for a fully healthy Davis and Young to start as a pair on opening night next season along with a lottery pick … Former Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton could have been an attractive piece for a contending club, but he has decided to remain with the Mavericks this season, playing out the final year of that three-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Bucks in 2023. While there was expected to be a lucrative buyout market for contending teams, it never materialized after Denver snapped up Tyus Jones from the Mavericks … The Celtics did not re-sign Dalano Banton to a second 10-day contract and re-signed John Tonje to a two-way contract. But they will have to fill another roster spot with a 10-day player in the coming days. Players who are eligible for playoff rosters needed to be waived by March 1, so the market has already been set. The Celtics did not want a buyout player to hinder their salary cap strategy to stay under the first apron.

Boston Globe Sports Report: Episode 18

With the NHL trade deadline looming, will the Bruins buy or sell? The Patriots enter free agency next week and Jayson Tatum’s return is imminent.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.