Contemporary off of their first lack of the season, the Boston Celtics confronted off in opposition to a pair of previous pals on Friday night time, trying to return to their successful methods. Visiting Charlotte to face off in opposition to former lead assistant coach Charles Lee, former Celtics ahead Grant Williams and the Hornets, the Celtics discovered themselves going through a sturdier check than they may have anticipated. After 40 minutes of back-and-forth basketball, although, the Celtics managed to distance themselves in a fourth quarter that featured vital frustration — and a number of ejections — from the Hornets. The Celtics superior to 5-1 with a 124-109 win.
Jayson Tatum had yet one more sturdy early-season efficiency, main the Celtics with 34 factors and tacking on 11 rebounds, 3 assists and three steals. Jaylen Brown provided 25 factors of his personal, however struggled to search out his stroke from vary, lacking all six of his three-point makes an attempt. Derrick White and Jrue Vacation mixed for 31 factors, and the Boston bench collectively contributed 29. For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball rode an enormous third quarter to 31 factors, whereas Tre Mann adopted with 23 factors off the bench.
The Celtics opened the sport in a hunch, or at the very least what certified as one for his or her lofty requirements. They missed their first 5 three-pointers of the sport, permitting the Hornets to place collectively a aggressive begin within the early minutes. 4 consecutive Boston threes shortly righted the ship, nonetheless, and 16 first-quarter factors from Tatum — his fourth double-digit first quarter in six video games — shortly broke the sport open. The Celtics entered the second quarter forward by 15 factors, 40-25.
With Horford sitting out on the entrance finish of the back-to-back, as is customary, Joe Mazzulla dug deeper into his bench within the first half. Whereas Payton Pritchard struggled to search out his shot early (0-of-4 within the first half), Neemias Queta offered a spark within the frontcourt whereas Sam Hauser returned from harm and related on a 3. Teen Jordan Walsh had one other early look as nicely, shortly nailing a pair of threes in his first shift within the second quarter. This was an awesome alternative for the deep finish of the Boston bench to see significant minutes, and tonight, they acquitted themselves nicely.
The Hornets had solutions as play resumed. Ball responded to Tatum’s double-digit quarter with one in every of his personal, scoring 10 factors in simply the primary three minutes of the second. Charlotte did most of their harm from the perimeter, with Ball, Mann and Seth Curry combining for 39 of their first half factors. Because the quarter wore on, the Hornets clawed again inside placing distance, answering the 40-point Boston first quarter with 42 factors of their very own within the second. The Celtics’ lead dwindled as little as two factors, and so they entered the halftime break hanging on to a 71-67 benefit.
Protection started to search out some buy as the 2 groups adjusted after the halftime break, aided alongside by a decline in shot-making. At one level early within the third quarter, almost three minutes of recreation time handed with out both group recording some extent. It was the Celtics who broke the run, with Tatum ending a take a look at the basket, and so they appeared to reenergize the scoring considerably — for higher and worse. The Hornets rattled off a 10-0 run late within the third quarter, drawing as shut as one level of the Boston lead, however the Celtics held them at arms’ size because the quarter concluded. They carried a 92-86 lead into the ultimate body.
The younger Hornets stored pushing as play resumed within the fourth quarter. Boston’s lead once more dwindled right down to a single possession, and hovered in that neighborhood for a lot of the early minutes of the quarter. With slightly below eight minutes to play, the Hornets had an opportunity to tie when Mazzulla picked up a technical foul for stepping onto the courtroom, however have been unable to transform the free throw or rating on the following possession. It was a expensive swing, as a foul name on Josh Inexperienced on the next Celtics possession put Charlotte within the bonus for the remaining seven and a half minutes of the ballgame.
The Celtics pounced on the chance with a fast 9-2 run, taking a 108-101 lead with 4:42 remaining in regulation. 5 of these factors got here on the line, with the Celtics attacking Charlotte protection within the bonus — Ball recording his fifth private foul of the sport within the course of. Because the clock neared the 4 minute mark, it was Lee’s flip to select up a technical from the sideline, granting Tatum a freebie to place the Celtics forward by 9 factors.
The Hornets made their final stand because the clock ticked beneath 4 minutes remaining, with Mann and Bridges changing consecutive baskets to carry them again inside six. It wasn’t sufficient, although, and it felt as if Charlotte had lastly begun to expire of gasoline. Vacation related on a three-point jumper to place the Celtics again up six, and with simply over two minutes left to play, Williams dedicated a tough foul on Tatum close to the half-court line that drew the ire of Brown and — extra importantly — the referees. The play initially dominated a standard foul, however upon overview, the referees decided that Williams made vital contact on a non-basketball play, upgrading the foul to a Flagrant 2 and ejecting him from the sport. Ball excused himself from the proceeds by committing his sixth foul moments later, and the whopping 5 consecutive free throws Tatum transformed in the course of the sequence lastly put the Hornets on ice.
Subsequent up, it’s déjà vu once more for the Celtics, as they continue to be in Charlotte to face the Hornets a second time in as many days, Saturday at 6 PM EST on NBC Sports activities Boston.
