The Boston Celtics came to Charlotte on a mission to end the Hornets 4-game win streak. The Hornets were up for the challenge most of the night before falling to the visiting Celtics 98 – 93. The Celtics were led to victory by Avery Bradley, who scored 23 points, and a very strong overall performance by Isaiah Thomas, who added 21 points and 13 assists.
The Celtics win was made possible by a 35 point explosion in the 3rd quarter after being held to just 38 point points in the first half. The Celtics win can also be attributed to textbook basketball as they only committed 5 turnovers and scored 10 fast break points.
Despite the Celtics’ 3rd quarter heroics, the Hornets continued to fight and traded baskets until the final minute of play. Kemba Walker (16 points) made the team’s final basket of the night and then fouled Jae Crowder who sank both free throws to put the Celtics in the lead for good.
Nicolas Batum had another impressive night scoring 21 points and collecting 8 rebounds, and four other Hornets scored in double figures. The Hornets look to regroup before traveling to Florida where they will take on the Orlando Magic Wednesday, December 16th at 7pm.
-Tony Stanford Jr.