Grant Williams smiled as he greeted his former Boston teammates earlier than Friday night time’s sport between the Celtics and Hornets.
Any postgame interactions possible weren’t as pleasant.
Williams, the ex-Celtics ahead, was ejected late within the fourth quarter after flooring Jayson Tatum with a shoulder-to-shoulder examine whereas the C’s star dribbled up courtroom. His Flagrant 2 foul was a part of a late-game meltdown by Charlotte, which trailed by one with eight minutes remaining however went on to lose 124-90 on the Spectrum Middle.
The sport featured two ejections, two flagrant fouls and three technical fouls, together with one on every head coach. The groups gained’t want to attend lengthy to settle any scores, as they’ll play the second finish of a back-to-back Saturday night time on the identical venue.
Tatum led the Celtics with 32 factors, 11 rebounds and three steals. He and co-star Jaylen Brown (25 factors, six rebounds, 5 assists) went a mixed 20-for-23 on the foul line, every making extra free throws than the whole Hornets roster (6-for-12).
Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta held down Boston’s frontcourt within the absence of Al Horford, who sat out the sport for relaxation administration functions. Queta scored 12 factors and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, and Kornet blocked two pictures and was a plus-16 in 24 minutes.
Hornets star LaMelo Ball scored 31 factors on 12-of-25 taking pictures earlier than fouling out late. Tre Mann added 23 factors off the bench for Charlotte.
The Celtics began chilly from 3-point vary, with three fast misses by Tatum and Brown, and trailed early earlier than getting a spark from their backcourt. Vacation and White mixed to hit three threes in a 90-second span to ignite a 15-1 Celtics run.
Tatum took over late within the first quarter, draining a trailer three off a Sam Hauser offensive rebound after which baiting Williams right into a foul on a 3-pointer as time expired. The three free throws gave Tatum 16 first-quarter factors — the fourth time this season he hit double figures within the opening body — and Boston a 40-25 lead.
The primary half of the second quarter belonged to Brown, who asserted himself with a number of sturdy drives to the rim. That physicality has been Brown’s best asset of late, serving to him stay productive amid an out of doors taking pictures hunch. (He’s 1-for-21 from three over the past three video games.)
Brown scored on three straight Celtics possessions, following up a drawn foul and a driving layup with a thunderous dunk in transition off a White feed. He and Tatum mixed for 34 first-half factors.
However the Hornets — whose first-year head coach, Charles Lee, was Joe Mazzulla’s prime assistant final season — hung round whereas using a really Celtics-esque method. Down 15 halfway by means of the second quarter, Charlotte minimize Boston’s result in 4 by racking up 3-pointers.
Lee’s squad took and made extra threes than the Celtics within the first half, and eight totally different Hornets gamers hit a minimum of one within the second quarter alone. Charlotte trailed 71-67 at halftime.
That technique wasn’t particularly stunning given how the Hornets have performed within the opening weeks of Lee’s teaching tenure. They entered Friday ranked fourth within the NBA in 3-point makes an attempt per sport, third in 3-point makes and sixth in 3-point taking pictures proportion. (The Celtics had been first, first and second in these classes.)
Within the third quarter, the Celtics stretched their lead again to double digits with a 10-3 run that featured seven Tatum factors. Kornet helped gas that flurry by aiding on a White three, flattening a rebound and denying Ball on the rim. Tatum hit his third triple of the sport on the following possession.
However once more, Charlotte rallied.
Mann, the NBA chief in bench scoring getting into Friday (one level forward of Pritchard), scored eight factors within the ultimate 5 minutes of the third quarter, together with one bucket that capped extended Hornets possession. Charlotte grabbed 4 consecutive offensive rebounds earlier than Mann’s make — a sequence that certainly infuriated Mazzulla.
Talking of, the Celtics coach was hit with a technical foul 4 minutes into the fourth quarter for arguing an unlawful display screen name on Queta. It was the angriest sideline outburst of the younger season for Mazzulla, who was held again by assistant Tony Dobbins as he lambasted referee James Williams.
However the tech proved to be a turning level in Boston’s favor. Ball, who was crimson sizzling to begin the fourth, missed the technical free throw that will have tied the sport at 100-100, and the Celtics proceeded to attain 11 of the following 13 factors. Lee additionally was T’d up throughout that stretch.
A short Hornets response minimize Boston’s result in six, however the Celtics pulled away with a Vacation three adopted by a slew of late-game free throws. Williams was ejected for his shoulder examine on Tatum, Ball was assessed a Flagrant 1 for a harmful closeout on Tatum and Miles Bridges was tossed within the ultimate minute after punching the ball.
