CHARLOTTE, NC - For the first time this season, the Charlotte Hornets no longer have a zero in the loss column. It was yet another very entertaining night in the Spectrum Center but the Hornets fell to the Celtics in overtime, 140-129.
The Hornets fell in love with the three-ball early and often and for good reason. Charlotte connected on nine of their first 15 shot attempts from beyond the arc. Kelly Oubre Jr. hit four in a row from deep to open the game which helped put the Hornets up 29-20. Boston ended the quarter on a 13-3 run to tie the game at 33 apiece.
Charlotte heated back up in the 2nd quarter, specifically LaMelo Ball who made a beautiful no-look over-the-shoulder pass to Miles Bridges for a dunk and followed that up by hitting back-to-back threes.
On the other side, Jayson Tatum put on a show scoring 21 points on 8/15 shooting from the floor. He was complemented by an unexpected spark off the bench in Jabari Parker who chipped in 12 points. Boston took a 68-66 lead into the half.
Early in the third, LaMelo Ball had another entertaining sequence as he put Marcus Smart on skates with a step-back three to put Charlotte up 75-73. At the other end of the floor, Ball collected the defensive rebound and chucked it deep down the court with pinpoint accuracy to Gordon Hayward for the layin. With Ball getting some rest on the bench, the Celtics regained control of the lead as Charlotte went ice cold on the offensive end of the floor. The moment Ball returned, the Hornets got back on track. Heading into the fourth and final quarter, Charlotte held claim to a three-point lead, 97-94.
Jayson Tatum made a pair of highly contested threes to kick off the fourth but the Hornets bounced back and went on a mini 6-0 run. A questionable flagrant 1 call on Kelly Oubre Jr. momentarily halted the momentum Charlotte had built up to open the quarter but quickly put that call behind them and jumped out to a ten-point lead.
Boston worked their way back into the game thanks to turnovers by the Hornets and several missed shots at or near the rim. Mason Plumlee was called for goaltending on Tatum's shot in the paint which cut the lead to one. The Celtics went with the hack a Shaq strategy on Plumlee and it paid off as he missed both free throws. Boston continued to pick on Plumlee as he was on the receiving end of a posterizing dunk by Robert Williams III.
LaMelo Ball got the lead back for Charlotte with yet another stepback three before Jayson Tatum tied the game back up with a pair of free throws. The Hornets had a chance to hit a game-winner when they had possession of the ball with 14 seconds but a bad inbound pass from Gordon Hayward resulted in a turnover, giving the Celtics the final crack in regulation. Hayward made up for it by deflecting the ensuing possession into the backcourt which then forced a difficult shot at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
After trailing by four early in the overtime period, the Hornets went on a 7-0 run to take the lead, 129-126. Boston countered with a 13-0 run to end the game and earn the win.
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