Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 90-87 win over the Hornets in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Incredible comeback: The Celtics trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half, but the shorthanded hosts relied on some unlikely sources to push them back into the game. Shane Larkin (16 points), Jayson Tatum (16 points) and Terry Rozier (15 points) were all pivotal contributors down the stretch to help the C’s erase the double-digit deficit and pull off the improbable win.
Injury bug hits again: The Celtics were without Kyrie Irving for the final 46 minutes of this contest as the All-Star guard went down with a possible concussion after an elbow from Aron Baynes connected with his face. He walked off the floor under his own power but odds are he’ll miss some time given the severity of the contact.
Eleven in a row: The Hornets looked like they had this game gift wrapped to them with three All-Stars sidelined for the Celtics, but Boston outscored Charlotte 26-11 in the fourth quarter and 49-30 in the second half to escape with their 11th consecutive win. They remain atop of the NBA with an 11-2 record.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics began the fourth quarter with tremendous energy with their third...ahem...second unit and the defensive pressure never relented. The hosts scraped their way to buckets and limited the Hornets to just three points in the first nine minutes of the quarter with an 18-3 run.
TWO UP
Daniel Theis: The Celtics were getting abused on the perimeter by Frank Kaminsky in the first half but the German big man played great defense on the perimeter and in the paint during the team’s second-half comeback. He also hit a corner 3-pointer and was active on putbacks per usual.
Shane Larkin: The energetic point guard was one of the few Celtics that showed signs of life in both halves with his offense. He attacked the basket well, played with poise, found open teammates and hounded the Hornets’ guard on the defensive end. He’s due for some bigger minutes if Irving is going to miss any significant time.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Smart: The fourth-year guard put it on himself to pick up the scoring slack with Irving out with a concussion and that was bad news for the C’s offense. He went 3-of-16 from the field and 0-of-7 from 3-point range on an array of open looks and forced shots. He should have focused more on his distribution in this game and C’s paid for it.
Jaylen Brown: A nice effort on the glass for the 21-year-old (13 boards) but Brown couldn’t find his rhythm all night long. He went 3-of-14 from the field in 35 minutes.
INJURIES
Irving left the game at the nine-minute mark of the first quarter due to an elbow to the face. He was ruled out for the game due to concussion-like symptoms by the team in the first half.
TOP PLAY
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— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 11, 2017