LaMelo Ball scored a career high 38 points, but the Charlotte Hornets fell short in a back and forth game against the Boston Celtics, 113-107 on Wednesday.
Both teams exchanged baskets in a fast paced first quarter, with little to no defense in the paint in the first several minutes. The Hornets gave up five dunks to Boston, but that happened early in the game. The Hornets trailed by five at the end of the first period, even with their cold shooting, 27-22.
Charlotte allowed consecutive open three-pointers by Josh Richardson to open the second quarter. After a Hornets timeout, Kelly Oubre Jr. led a tightened up defense, with a few strong defensive possessions, that included several deflections. The Hornets were able to erase a 12 point advantage with a 14-1 run, in just two and a half minutes. Oubre also gave the Hornets the lead by stealing an inbound pass after a made basket and getting fouled. Oubre did the same exact thing a few minutes later, when he stripped Jayson Tatum of the ball at half court. He had four steals and a rejection in the first half alone. Ball led the Hornets in scoring with 17 first half points, most of which were free throws and floaters. At the half, the Hornets were down by one, 54-53.
The Hornets started the second half by conceding open shots from downtown, which increased their deficit. They played stingy defense to scratch and claw their way back into the game, but it was short lived. Miles Bridges left the game for a short stint with a bloody lip. The Hornets had their difficulties with their two leading scorers off the floor.
The Celtics scored 18 of the last 26 points, with Jaylon Brown hitting a jumper from the foul line right before the buzzer giving them a ten point lead, 88-78, going into the final frame.
Ball scored or assisted on the first 13 points of the fourth quarter for the Hornets. That was followed by a four minute drought, which saw Boston pull away, but Charlotte would not go away without a fight.
The Hornets made their comeback with shooting from the great beyond. Terry Rozier hit a three, slicing the lead to 103-98, with less than three minutes to play. Ball hit three foul shots after a Tatum foul and technical. Washington hit a three to pull the Hornets within a single point, with a minute and a half to play.
After two Marcus Smart foul shots, Rozier hit another three from the top of the key to knot the game at 107, with 62 seconds left, but that is the closest the Hornets would get. Tatum knocked down two free throws. Robert Williams III blocked Washington’s three-point attempt. Then Smart hit two free throws, with 15.6 seconds left, to ice the game.
“We’ve dealt with adversity and not always ended up the best,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “Tonight we handled it well. We were able to make big plays down the stretch.”
Richardson made six three-pointers and scored 23 points for the Celtics. He also contributed two rebounds and one assist off the bench. Smart scored 22 points, four boards and six dimes. Tatum added 19 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Brown had 15 points, six rebounds and 6 dimes.
As stated above, Ball had a career-high 38 points for the Hornets. He also had six boards and nine helpers. Rozier scored 23 points, five rebounds and four assists. Washington contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Oubre had 15 points, three rebounds, three blocks and four steals. Gordon Hayward cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but did not travel with the team.
“We did come back a lot, just couldn’t finish it,” said Ball, who was unaware he scored a career best. “It’s kind of tight right now. If we want to make the playoffs, it’s going to be tight down the stretch.”
The Celtics travel to Detroit to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons on Friday. The Hornets host Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
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