Celtics take down Hornets 130-94

Boston closed out the 2024-25 common season with a two-game mini dwelling stand towards the Charlotte Hornets. Sport 1 of two was a aggressive recreation within the first half earlier than the Celtics exploded within the second half to win 130-94. Boston had a stable workforce efficiency with 6 gamers in double figures factors.

Boston’s starters return to motion after skipping Thursday’s highway loss to Orlando. The C’s reverted to a double large lineup with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, and Jayson Tatum beginning the second-to-last recreation of the season. Jaylen Brown will possible miss the ultimate two video games of the season as a consequence of his persistent knee damage.

The Pink Auerbach award for the Boston Celtic participant who demonstrated real sportsmanship all through the season was given to Jrue Vacation earlier than to the tip off.

Charlotte jumped out to an early 7-0 lead as Boston went scoreless within the first two minutes of the sport. Derrick White lastly bought Boston on the scoreboard with a 15-foot jumper. White was Boston’s solely scorer, accounting for the workforce’s opening seven factors, and he stored scoring.

The Celtics dedicated a pair of turnovers to begin the sport because the returning starters appeared flat-footed towards the feisty Hornet gamers. Jayson Tatum lastly bought on the scoreboard with 4 minutes to go within the first quarter with a reducing layup adopted by a working pull up three-pointer with the scores 19-20, Charlotte up.

Boston’s bench trio of Pritchard, Kornet and Hauser entered the sport to finish the quarter alongside Tatum and Vacation. Hauser transformed on his first triple of the sport after Tatum blew a two-handed dunk try and the ball bobbled free. The scores have been tied after one quarter, 25 apiece.

Seth Curry and Payton Pritchard traded three-point buckets to begin the second quarter. Boston was inefficient taking pictures the ball to begin this recreation as Boston have been 5-17 from three. Porzingis struggled with an early stat line of 1-6 from three and 1-9 from the sector, greater than half his seven early factors coming from the free throw line the place the Latvian was 4-4.

Al Horford scored on his second three-pointer try of the sport as he logged Boston’s eighth level of the quarter. Payton Pritchard bought his second three-pointer of the sport who was having a particularly environment friendly recreation after a disappointing efficiency in Orlando a couple of nights earlier.

Al Horford asserted himself on each ends with 7 boards, 1 block, and a team-high 13 factors within the first half. Kristaps had 11 factors whereas Pritchard contributed 10 factors in simply 12 minutes from the bench. Boston led on the half by simply 1 level, up 54-53.

Luke Kornet slammed dwelling Boston’s first factors of the second half with a loud alley-oop jam from a Tatum feed. Derrick White hit consecutive triples after beginning the sport sluggish; the Celtics guard additionally registered his third blocked shot of the night time.

Jayson Tatum was fouled taking pictures from three and nailed the free throw for his twelfth level of the sport. Tatum then assisted as soon as extra to Kornet as Boston took a 12-point lead, 71-59, with seven and a half minutes to go within the third.

Derrick White sustained a bruised head as he related with Jusuf Nurkic’s shoulder on a shifting display. White shook off the play and stayed within the recreation for Boston. Charlotte remained inside putting distance of the Celtics after Seth Curry made his fourth triple of the sport.

Following the early recreation taking pictures struggles (5-17 from three), Boston then transformed on 12-21 from past the arc as six gamers related from distance for the house workforce. Boston rattled off the factors all through the third quarter with a formidable 37 factors, spearheaded by Sam Hauser who went 3-3 from distance within the third quarter alone. Boston had a 16 level lead heading into the ultimate quarter.

Joe Mazzulla appeared to his deeper bench gamers to begin the fourth as Craig, Queta and Scheierman all noticed their first minutes of the sport. Queta had a formidable block on Mark Williams and a nifty turnaround hook shot in his first minutes of motion.

Boston all however sealed the cope with seven minutes to go within the recreation as the house workforce transformed two straight warmth verify threes from Scheierman then Payton Pritchard. Scores have been 104-78, Boston up a whopping 26 factors over the fourteenth positioned Hornets with loads of time to go.

Boston’s 13-0 run within the fourth quarter was ultimately snapped by three-pointers from Damion Baugh and French rookie Tidjane Salaun. Boston’s bench crew had a formidable run to the top the sport as they continued to attain at a excessive tempo. Hauser and Pritchard ultimately can be subbed out with two minutes to go, the pair had 42 factors and a mixed 10 three-pointers on the night time.

JD Davison woke the group up with a formidable dunk as time wound down. The G-League MVP flew into the important thing for a solo one-handed tomahawk jam. Davison then lobbed to Queta for a flush, Boston completely destroyed the Hornets within the second half with 75 factors.

With one ultimate recreation left within the common season, followers have in all probability seen the final recreation with the entire Celtics roster previous to playoffs. The Celtics are undoubtedly maintaining a tally of attainable Jap Convention opponents within the first spherical of the playoffs. Charlotte will keep on the town for a ultimate matinee recreation of the season on Sunday.