The Charlotte Hornets began a tough two week stretch in Boston against a Celtics team that has won seven out of their last ten games. The playoff race in the East is tightening, as only five and a half games separates the top seed from the 9th seed. Charlotte was coming off a disappointing loss against the Clippers Sunday and needed a win to hold off a team that is surging. Unfortunately for the Hornets they came up short in Boston, suffering a 113-107 defeat. Now Charlotte is only a half game ahead of Toronto and Boston with Cleveland, Miami and Toronto coming to the Spectrum Center for the next three games. Charlotte has entered a crucial stretch of their season and needs to string together some wins. Let’s recap their game vs the Celtics.
LaMelo’s Career Night:
LaMelo Ball had the highest scoring game of his young career, dropping 38 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out nine assists. LaMelo shot 50% from the floor and made four threes. At times he single-handedly kept the Hornets in the game and almost had them in a position to win…more on that in a second. There are more performances like this in LaMelo’s future, but it would’ve been nice if the Hornets could’ve gotten the win to go along with it.
Questionable Play Call at the End:
Charlotte fought hard in the fourth quarter to get back in this game. At several points it seemed like the Celtics would pull away, but Charlotte made one last run to tie the game with just over a minute left after Terry Rozier made a three pointer. The next possession Jason Tatum was fouled and sank two free throws – putting Boston up two points. The time the Hornets had the ball they ran a set with PJ Washington coming off a screen and attempting a three that was ultimately blocked by Robert Williams. Marcus Smart was fouled and hit two free throws to put the game out of reach with 15 seconds left to play. PJ did hit a big three in the Hornets come back, but I couldn’t help but wonder why LaMelo, on his career night, didn’t get an opportunity to take that shot…or Terry Rozier who has taken and made big shots late in games all season. The ball should’ve been in the hands of the team’s two best creators.
Celtics Role Players and Bench Make the Difference:
Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown didn’t have their usual strong performances, but it didn’t matter because the Celtics got contributions from its role players. Marcus Smart scored 22 points while Josh Richardson scored 23 points off the bench, including making six threes. Grant Williams also chipped in with 12 points off the bench. Boston’s bench outscored the Hornets’ bench 41-19. Charlotte was without Gordon Hayward and inserted PJ Washington into the starting lineup to match Boston’s size. Kelly Oubre scored 15 points off the bench and Cody Martin had four points. The only other player to get playing time off the bench was Nick Richards, who only played 8 minutes essentially leaving Charlotte to a seven-man rotation. Williams, Richardson and Al Horford were able to get good looks from three off dribble penetration and the Hornets either over helping in the paint, or not getting to their rotations. Boston hit 14 three-pointers – shooting 38% from behind the arc. Gordon Hayward is out of health and safety protocols and should return to the lineup soon. Charlotte needs to get back to their normal rotations. Only playing seven guys is putting players at risk for burning out and showing fatigue late in games. PJ Washington, LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier all played 40 minutes in the loss.
Charlotte will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night then Miami Heat on Saturday. Cleveland is currently 4th in the East and Miami is 2nd in the East.