Charlotte Hornets Drop Fifth Straight in Loss to the Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas outduels Kemba Walker as his fourth quarter outburst led the Celtics past the Charlotte Hornets on route to Charlotte’s fifth straight loss.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Celtics | 34 | 25 | 21 | 28 | 108 |
| All NBA | 30 | 23 | 18 | 27 | 98 |
The Charlotte Hornets (20-21) were defeated by the Boston Celtics (26-15) as they dropped their fifth consecutive game. They are reeling at the moment as Steve Clifford’s side has lost seven of their last eight matches in total and dropped under .500 for the first time this season. Isaiah Thomas’ huge fourth quarter led him past Kemba Walker and the Hornets in this one.
Charlotte was without Jeremy Lamb who missed the game due to a minor foot injury. Without Lamb off the bench, Coach Clifford shortened his rotation and only played nine guys. Jeremy might not seem like a big loss but the second unit could only muster up 26 points.
Turning Point:
The game was tied 53-53 at the 2:35 mark in the second quarter before Boston took a 56-53 lead at 2:18. After that moment, the Celtics never relinquished their lead. The Hornets made a few runs but were never able to tie the game or take the lead from there on out. A big part of why they weren’t able to do so was because of Thomas’ 17-point fourth quarter which helped blow the game open and kept the home team out in front.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
Who Stepped Up:
Per usual, Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 24 points, four rebounds, and only two assists. Marvin Williams added 21 points and four rebounds as he looks to have finally found his rhythm. Cody Zeller chipped in 13 points and eight boards while Nicolas Batum finished with a near triple-double with eight points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Celtics were led by Isaiah Thomas as he recorded a game-high 35 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Al Horford scored 22 points and Jae Crowder had 15 points and seven boards in this one. Kelly Olynyk ended the game with a near double-double off the bench with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Walker and Thomas headlined this all-star matchup but Isaiah’s team not only came out with the win but he also came out on top of their head to head in this one.
Play of the Game:
Tweet of the Game:
"Quick Stings"
- Marvin scored a season-high 21 points.
- Kemba recorded his 28th 20+ point game of the season.
- Roy Hibbert was a healthy DNP in this one as Spencer Hawes got the backup center minutes.
- While this game featured 15 lead changes, none of them took place in the second half.
- Charlotte shot (38-86) 44.2% from the field and (8-25) 32% from the three-point line.
With the loss, the Hornets fell to 0-3 on the season against the Celtics. Now that they have lost the season series, Charlotte’s final meeting with Boston won’t have any effect in that respect. Their final matchup will be on April 8th.
Next: One Area Where Each Starter Can Improve
After going 0-5 on their recent five-game road trip, the Charlotte Hornets will finally return home as they look to get back on track. They will host the Portland Trailblazers in their next outing as they are in desperate need of a win. It has been a rough stretch for the team but an upcoming five-game homestand could help them out immensely.