While the Celtics needed to scrap against the Hornets, they got the job done to avoid a losing streak. The C’s beat the Hornets 124-109 on Friday in Charlotte, pulling away at the end against a young, hungry team. Boston improved to 5-1 while Charlotte dropped to 2-3 on the season.
The C’s went up early, though the Hornets refused to go away. Boston had a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter. But as seen in the modern NBA, those double-digit leads don’t mean too much — especially against a healthy 3-point shooting team like the Hornets.
The Hornets kept up the pressure throughout most of the game. But the C’s pulled away at the end for the victory, including a huge run to get the double-digit lead. Notably, former Celtics forward Grant Williams was ejected with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter after a flagrant-2 foul on Jayson Tatum. The Hornets ended up imploding, allowing the C’s to go on a 13-4 run to close the game after multiple flagrant fouls.
The C‘s were without Al Horford (load management) and Kristaps Porzingis (surgery rehab) for Friday‘s game. That meant reserve big Luke Kornet got his first start of the season in a similar look to the preseason. The C’s are prepared to be without Horford and Porzingis some games — that’s why they have their trio of Kornet, Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman.
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Tatum had 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown added 25 points and six rebounds, though his shooting has cooled. LaMelo Ball had 31 points and four assists for the Hornets while Tre Mann added 23 points.
The Celtics and Hornets rematch again at 6 p.m. Saturday back in Charlotte for the second half of a back-to-back. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Charlotte:
3-point margin: While the Celtics have been praised — and criticized — for taking and making 3-pointers, other teams can employ the same strategy. The Hornets entered Friday top-6 in 3-pointers made and attempted, along with 3-point percentage. So the Celtics got to see what it’s like on the other side where the opposing team rains down 3s. The Hornets (19-for-48) finished with more made and attempted 3s Friday than the Celtics (13-for-42), which will likely be a rarity throughout the year. But the Celtics made up a big difference in 3s at the free throw line, finishing 29-for-35 from the line compared to the Hornets going 6-for-12.
Energy injection: Minutes were going to be available for the big men Friday, and after a strong performance against the Pacers, Queta got the nod as the first big off the bench. Just like he‘s shown during his short time in Boston, Queta is always going to bring the energy and hustle whenever he’s on the court. The big man finished with 12 points and six rebounds (four offensive) as his impact was clear. Queta represents just another option for the Celtics off the bench, which is a huge luxury for them. Interestingly, like the Pacers game, Queta also got the crunch-time minutes down the stretch in the fourth quarter of a close game.
Making the most of it: While Jordan Walsh didn’t get rotation minutes to open the season, that hasn’t been the case for the past three games. Walsh showed some solid play against the Bucks in his first meaningful minutes of his career. Since then, Walsh has gotten at least a few short stints. The second-year forward made the most of his minutes Friday, including knocking down a couple 3-pointers in the second quarter. Those were his first made 3s this season after starting 0-for-5 on the year. Walsh finished with six points in his six minutes Friday.
Cold shooting: Brown had a hot shooting start to the year from deep, but those makes have dried up recently. In the past three games, Brown has shot 1-for-21 (4.7%) from deep, including an 0-for-6 showing Friday. That‘s compared to the first three games, where Brown was 11-for-24 (45.8%). That hasn’t necessarily stopped him from affecting games, though. Brown, for example, finished 9-for-10 from the free throw line Friday. The Celtics are often led by Brown’s physical style, where driving in the paint either opens up a look for him or his teammates. Brown also helped the Celtics early in the fourth quarter as his game isn’t just the 3-pointer.
