Final: Hornets 117, Celtics 112 -- Kemba rallies Hornets to victory

Kemba Walker may be playing the best offensive basketball of any guard in the league right now and he showed it yet again on Monday night, erupting for 21 of his game-high 43 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Hornets to a 117-112 win at the Spectrum Center.

Gordon Hayward came off the bench for the first time all season in the defeat, as Aron Baynes got the starting nod at center, which pushed Al Horford to the 4. Baynes made a very limited impact in seven minutes in what was a rollercoaster ride of a game that featured double-digit leads for both teams. 

Boston led by as many as 10 points with ten minutes remaining in the game thanks to a stellar offensive effort by Irving (27 points, 11 assists) and Jayson Tatum (18 points) before the defense fell victim to Walker's stellar offense down the stretch. He's now combined for 103 points in his last two games after going for 60 against Philadelphia on Saturday night leading a 30-15 run over the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Boston drops to 9-8 on the season with the defeat heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Knicks at the Garden.

 

Second Quarter Notes

• Hornets erupt in opening few minutes to stretch lead to 13 due to a few defensive breakdowns by the C's in the halfcourt and some unforced turnovers.


• Stevens sticks with the lineup of Rozier/Smart/Hayward/Morris/Theis though and the combo opens up a 20-2 run behind the stellar play of Rozier, Smart and Theis who combined for 20 first half points.


• Baynes did not see the floor again after his five minutes as Theis got some extended run with the starters before Horford closed out the half at the five.


• Hayward continues to struggle with his finishing around the rim. Same with Horford. Both guys are passing up layups for kickouts, which is producing mixed results.


• Nice attacking of the rim by Tatum and Irving in the closing minutes of first half, which produced some easy finishes instead of settling.

• The switch to Baynes move looks good early from a defensive standpoint. Has taken a lot of onus off of Al Horford and that is something that has produced better all-around defense with five blocks early from the starters against Hornets smaller five.


• Baynes active early on offense but missing all kinds of putback around the rim.


• C's 3-point shooting continues to struggle of the gate with 1-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.


• Hayward and Morris are first subs off the bench. Theis spends some time at the 5 for Horford after Baynes gets subbed out early.


• Walker remaining red-hot with 12 first quarter points on 4-of-5 shooting.


• A couple nice offensive possessions to close quarter with Morris making an extra pass and Theis getting a putback off a Rozier drive.

• The Celtics play four of their next five games on the road, starting with Monday's game in Charlotte.


• A strong defensive outing will be need tonight on Kemba Walker, who is coming off a 60-point performance on Saturday night against the Sixers.


• The Hornets are only 7-8 but they have underachieved in close games due to their expected record of 10-5 overall.


• Charlotte is one of five teams in the league with a top-12 offensive and defensive rating.