Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics February 10th, 2023
The Celtics improved to 4-0 on the season against the Hornets on Friday. Despite Jaylen Brown recovering from a facial injury following a Jason Tatum elbow, the Celtics could put up 127 points in regulation. The 41 points poured in by Tatum were impactful, but not entirely surprising. In the three previous games against the Hornets this season, Tatum had averaged 39.6 points per game. And his 13 points in the fourth quarter helped seal the win after the Celtics had lost a bit of their massive lead.
The real killer was Derrick White’s career-high 33 points. White went 8 from 14 from deep. The Hornets are 24th in 3-point defensive percentage. The Celtics lived up to their reputation from behind the arc. Boston, a team that has made the 2nd most 3-pointers in the league this season, was 25/55 (45.5%) in the game.
LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier did their best to keep the Hornets close, despite trailing most of the game. Ball was one rebound shy of a triple-double (24 points, 10 assists), and Rozier added 27 points. Mark Williams, who started for the time this season, put up his 2nd double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.