BOSTON — The Celtics saw a commanding lead whittled down as the Hornets refused to let the C’s get comfortable. But Boston never actually allowed Charlotte to take the lead, picking up the all-important 120-111 win Wednesday at TD Garden.
Boston led by as many as 20 points after the first quarter, looking like it was going to cruise to victory. But there was still plenty of game left as the Hornets chipped away at their huge deficit. Charlotte even got it down to a three-point game in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics pulled away to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Celtics’ All-Stars showed out as Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 38 points and seven rebounds while Jayson Tatum had 35 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Tristan Thompson had a nice bounce-back game with 12 points and 13 rebounds, earning plenty of second-chance opportunities with seven offensive boards. Aaron Nesmith played one of the best games of his young career, delivering in the fourth quarter as he put up 15 points and nine rebounds. Devonte’ Graham had 25 points for the Hornets.
Boston was supposed to be missing only one player in Kemba Walker on Wednesday, but the league had other plans. Less than two hours from tipoff, the NBA announced Marcus Smart was suspended one game because of “directing threatening language” to an official. C’s coach Brad Stevens said he didn’t hear about it until late, forcing the team to adjust without their top two point guards.
The Celtics take on the San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at TD Garden to continue their homestand.
Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Charlotte:
Brown put the team on his back in the first quarter: As Brown put it, the Celtics just didn’t play with enough of that “inner fire” in the loss to the Thunder on Tuesday. No matter, since Brown exploded for 20 points in the opening quarter Wednesday, outscoring the Hornets 20-19 by himself through 12 minutes. After the initial burst, Brown slowed down but he was great all night, finishing 7-for-13 from 3-point range. Tatum was close behind as the C’s were led by their stars.
Williams finally back: It’s been a minute since Robert Williams III saw the court, but he returned Wednesday and made some highlight-worthy plays. Williams only played 17 minutes, though that’s been the case the whole season, finishing with four points, nine rebounds and two blocks. His first bucket of the game came on the alley-oop, which, coupled with some emphatic blocks, made for a flashy return.
Waters gets the start: The C’s were thin at point guard with Smart and Walker out, which meant they needed to go “point guard by committee” Wednesday, Stevens said. That prompted Stevens to roll with Tremont Waters in the starting lineup, who made his third career start. Waters, who’s on a two-way contract, played well Wednesday, looking comfortable in bits but also showing some struggles. He scored the first bucket of the game, finishing with six points and six assists in 25 minutes. It wasn’t a perfect effort by any means, including some defensive and turnover miscues, but Waters was more than serviceable off the bench.
Important win for the standings, playoff race: Wednesday’s game was the finale between the Celtics and Hornets as they had split the season series coming in. That meant the victor claimed the tiebreaker, which is vital considering how close the teams are in the standings. The Hornets have lagged behind of late because of injuries, but they’re getting healthier ahead of the final stretch of the lead. The C’s came out victorious, though, which only helps for the stretch run.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum lead Celtics to 120-111 win over Hornets to snap losing streak - MassLive.com
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