Hornets stomp Celtics 118-89 in potential playoff preview

The Boston Celtics hosted the Charlotte Hornets for their first meeting of the season on Wednesday night at TD Garden. Boston was flat-footed to start the game, and they struggled all night to keep pace with the young Hornets. It was a tough shooting night for the home team throughout; they hit just 10 three-pointers compared to the Hornets 19. The C’s dropped their 21st game of the season to a good young Charlotte team, 118-89.

Jaylen Brown missed the Milwaukee Bucks game due to illness, and center Neemias Queta was rested, but both returned to action against the Hornets. The pair were joined in the starting lineup by Sam Hauser, Derrick White, and Baylor Scheierman. The Hornets came into the game on the second night of a back-to-back with Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate.

Diabate had the game’s first points on a loud dunk; Ball cut through the key and had an easy layup as the Celtics were slow to get into the game. Boston missed their first eight shots as they started the game down by 8. White’s floater three and a half minutes into the game was the C’s first score.

Brown laced a three-pointer for his fifth point of the game. White followed up with a triple of his own as the Celtics got the Hornet lead back to 5 points, 13-18, midway through the first quarter. Hugo Gonzalez entered the game and had an immediate corner crash hustle rebound. Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic were also the first C’s into the game for Boston.

Gonzalez had a terrific defensive start to the game; in one sequence, he draped himself over Coby White and contested his shot, forcing a miss. The rookie then came back to the other end and skied into a forest of taller bodies to retrieve an offensive rebound.

Boston had a rough shooting start to the game, posting just 30% from the field through the first 12 minutes. On the flipside, Charlotte went 60% from the field over the same time frame. Charlotte led by 12 points as they were clearly the more aggressive team throughout the first quarter, 23-35 Hornets. Charlotte had 12 points in the paint in the opening quarter, and Boston posted 5 turnovers as the home team was completely outplayed.

Knueppel hit a catch-and-shoot triple off a Ball dish to start the second quarter. As Boston fell further behind, Joe Mazzulla wasting no time calling a timeout. Baylor Scheierman finally got the C’s on the board for the second quarter, but Celtics fans were deflated at the effort on display to start the game.

Queta was locked out of sorts early in the first quarter, as trainers were filmed looking at his knee while he was on the bench. The big man returned and had a great effort block on Ball’s shot attempt in the key. JB burst into action with a strong one-handed power dunk over Diabate. Scheierman laced a triple in front of the Hornets bench, so Charles Lee immediately calling a timeout as Boston had a sliver of momentum for the first time in the game, 32-49.

White reentered the game and nailed a pair of buckets; he had 17 points in the first half, but Boston was still down big as Miller, Kneuppel, Ball, and White were in attack mode all half, working the angles expertly on offense. Charlotte was super-hot shooting the ball all half; they had 12 threes compared to Boston’s 7. The visitors went up by 21 points at the halftime break, 43-64. Vucevic, Hauser, and Pritchard were scoreless for Boston, combining for 0-13 from the field.

White was super aggressive to start the third quarter; he put the team on his back, scoring 10 of the team’s first 13 points of the third quarter. Boston had the Charlotte lead back to 14 points with eight minutes to go in the third. Miller calmly sunk a mid-range jumper as the Hornets answered back. Scheierman got into the lane with rookie Knueppel on his hip and drilled a jumper over his outstretched frame.

Coby White was immense for the Hornets as they weathered the Boston runs; he hit his second three of the game, a deep, tough shot in rhythm, stretching the Hornet lead back to 18 points. That quickly went back out to 24 points as Boston floundered.

Boston went on a late 8-0 run in the third quarter, but Knueppel drilled his fifth triple of the night to go back up 67-85. Brown was frustrated late in the quarter and was whistled for a tech after driving and getting contact on the arm. It was a frustrating game after three quarters, Hornets up 68-91, Boston shooting it poorly with 35 percent from the field.

The fourth quarter was more of the same; Charlotte was in complete control all night. Boston had no answers defensively; the Hornets deftly carved the C’s up, and Brown and White went to the bench with 5 minutes to go in the game.

White was the only Celtic who really came to play all evening; he had 29 points, 3 triples, and was perfect 8-8 from the line. Brown had 20 points (36% FG), 11 boards, and 7 assists in a frustrating performance; no other Celtic player even reached double figures.

Boston next hosts the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. Cooper Flagg has missed the Mavs’ last 8 games with a foot injury.