Charlotte Hornets fall to the Boston Celtics away from home, 134-106
Despite great performances from Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard, the Charlotte Hornets didn’t have enough to overcome the Boston Celtics.
The Charlotte Hornets (28-34) were defeated by the Boston Celtics (44-19) as their five-game win streak came to an end. They couldn’t slow down Kyrie Irving who dropped a game-high 35 points. The dynamic duo of Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard did manage to combine for 44 points.
The Hornets were a bit shorthanded in this one as they were without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (left hamstring soreness) and Cody Zeller (left knee soreness). Treveon Graham filled in for MKG in the starting lineup. Despite dealing with a right rhomboid spasm, Dwight Howard was about to give it a go. Every player who was healthy saw minutes for Charlotte.
Game Story
The Hornets were able to hang with the Celtics early on but didn’t have an answer for Boston’s offensive firepower. The C’s managed to shoot 62.1% from the field, 60% from the three-point line and posted a season-high with 134 points scored. Compare that to Charlotte who struggled from beyond the arc going 9-27 (33.3%) and also from the free throw line making only 13 out of 22 attempts (59.1%).
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Player of the Game
Kemba Walker led Charlotte as he scored a team-high 23 points on 9-13 shooting with four made three’s and five assists. The all-star point guard was on fire in the first half as he put up 21 points without missing a shot through the first two quarters. Unfortunately, his stellar play didn’t carry over to the second half and he ended with a -20 in +/-.
Dwight Howard added 21 points and three rebounds while Frank Kaminsky (16), Micahel Carter-Williams (14) and Jeremy Lamb (10) all scored in double-figures off of the Hornets’ bench. Three starters in Nicolas Batum (7), Marvin Williams (4) and Treveon Graham (2) only managed to combine for 13 points.
The Celtics were led by Kyrie Irving who had 35 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris each had 15 points while Greg Monroe and Terry Rozier both scored 14. Aron Baynes (12) and Marcus Smart (10) rounded out Boston’s double-digit scorers.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
CHA’s winning streak is over in BOS.
— Richie (@richierandall) March 1, 2018
Having said that, #Hornets still undefeated in black (We shouldn’t be wearing anything else).
"Quick Stings"
- Charlotte was out-rebounded by Boston, 47-33.
- The Hornets outscored the Celtics 52-42 in the paint.
- Boston’s bench outscored Charlotte’s second unit, 61-49.
- Willy Hernangomez went scoreless in nine minutes.
- Malik Monk scored three points in 18 minutes while fellow rookie Dwayne Bacon had six points in six minutes.
With the loss, Charlotte fall to 0-3 in their season series against Boston. The Hornets have now been swept by the Celtics in back to back season and have lost seven straight regular-season games to the C’s. The Queen City team only has one win over Boston in the last three years.
Next: The roller coaster that is the Charlotte Hornets
In their next outing, the Hornets will travel to The City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, March 2nd. It will be the first meeting of the season between the two sides. Steve Clifford’s side will look to bounce back and pick up a win against one of the teams that they are chasing in the East.