Miles Bridges came up huge making the most of his first NBA start in 586 days.
Bridges hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in overtime and the Charlotte Hornets snapped a six-game home losing streak with an improbable 121-118 come-from-behind victory over the red hot Boston Celtics on Monday night.
LaMelo Ball was outstanding, finishing with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Gordon Hayward added 20 points for the Hornets, who scratched and clawed all the way back from an 18-point deficit to end the Celtics six-game winning streak.
Jayson Tatum had a game-high 45 points, but missed a crucial free throw with 5.2 seconds left that would have knotted the game after getting fouled on a 3-point shot attempt. He made the first two before the untimely miss on the third one.
“I couldn’t believe he missed that last one, but we got the win and that is all that matters,” Bridges said.
Tatum was shocked and could not believe it, either.
“Was I surprised? Yeah, I was surprised,” he said “It felt good, just didn’t go in.”
He was more frustrated and taken aback over the Celtics giving up an 11-point lead with six minutes to play.
“We have to regroup,” Tatum said. “We had six wins in a row and it’s easy to get complacent and we paid for it tonight.”
After Tatum’s miss, the Celtics fouled Hayward, who swished two free throws to put Charlotte back up by three with 0.8 left. Bridges stole the inbounds pass to seal the win.
Mark Williams had a massive double-double with 18 points and 16 boards for the Hornets. Coach Steve Clifford called it his best game since joining the Hornets.
Clifford said it was an important win for his teams moral and confidence, but added “this league is not about a great win. it’s about can we come back and play well Wednesday night?”
Peyton Pritchard had 21 points on five triples for Boston, which had its six game winning streak halted.
Embed from Getty ImagesClifford said the decision to replace P.J. Washington with Bridges in the starting lineup is something that has been in the works for weeks. Charlotte also needed a jolt of energy after dropping its last four games.
Bridges had averaged 18 points is his first two games back after missing all of last season and the first 10 games of this year while serving a 10-game suspension for his role in a domestic violence case.
Bridges did not shoot the ball well, but finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds while playing a team-high 45 minutes.
Tatum tied a career-high with 31 points in the first two quarters and Pritchard added four 3s as the Celtics built a 65-54 advantage at the break.
But the Hornets made it a one possession game, trimming the lead to two with 22 seconds left when Williams put back an offensive rebound.
Jrue Holiday was fouled on the next possession and had an opportunity to salt the game away but missed both free throws with 10.3 seconds left, leaving the door open for the Hornets to tie or win the game.
Ball received the side out inbounds pass, drove to the basket and scored to tie it with 7.2 seconds left.
Sam Houser had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but missed at the buzzer.
It was another huge performance for Ball, who is averaging 32 points over his last eight games.
The former All-Star was big in the extra session, scoring on a left-handed layup high off the glass to give the Hornets the lead. With the game tied, Ball found Bridges on the left wing for an open look and the left-hander hit the go-ahead 3 to break the tie.
“I’m a little more healthy and I have some games under my belt,” said Ball, who was limited to 36 games last year due to ankle injuries. “My game has finally got there and I’m feeling better now.”
Celtics: Return home to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Hornets: The Hornets wrap up a five-game homestand on Wednesday night against Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards.
