Final: Celtics 119, Hornets 103 -- C's stop three-game losing streak with blowout victory

Al Horford (10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Marcus Morris (12 points, 8 rebounds) started together for the first time in three weeks and the timing could not have been better for the Green as the hosts used a huge second quarter (39-21) to cruise to a 119-103 win. Kyrie Irving led a balanced Celtics offense with a team-high 25 points as five different C’s scored in double figures and eight scored at least points. Kemba Walker had a team-high 21 points for the visitors who struggled shooting the ball (39 percent from field) all night against a motivated C’s defense that played with a different level of intensity. Boston also snapped their three-game losing streak with the win.   Garden.

First Half Notes

• A tale of two quarter in this one for the Celtics.


• Kyrie Irving put on a show early on by making his first six shots of the night on the way to 17 points in the opening frame, but he got very little help from his supporting cast on both ends of the floor.


• Hornets erased an early nine-point deficit quickly by attacking the C's with Kemba Walker all over the floor and getting to the free throw line (14 attempts as a team).


• After an ugly outing on Friday night that earned a benching, the second unit looked much more focused on both ends in their second quarter stint, setting the tone as the C's outscored the Hornets by 19 points in the frame.


• Terry Rozier (7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) asserted his control while Marcus Morris (2-of-3 3-point range) picked up right where hel eft of.


• The ball was noticeably moving around the perimeter more with the team seeking out extra passes instead of settling. Irving got more leeway than usual with his hot hand but it was one of the better offensive halves of the year. 23 points for Irving, 10 for Morris and all nine Celtics scored.


• Al Horford with an uneventful 12 minutes in his return to the floor. Looks like his minutes count is around 25 for this one.

• Al Horford will return to action after a three-week absence due to a sore knee. He will be on a minutes restriction and is back starting at center. Marcus Morris is also back after a two-game absence with no minutes restriction.


• Brad Stevens acknowledged before the game that the team had another 90 minute meeting on Saturday that was a continuation of the discussion held after Friday's loss. In describing his attitude towards the meeting, he gave a nod towards Seinfeld around the holiday: "I think the best thing you can be is a listener, as long as you can be a listener. I always say that a lot of those meetings start off like Festivus, then they end with like hugs, right? So it’s just like any other family meeting. That’s where we were. We never got to the feats of strength. It just ended with (like a typical Chrismas?) It was Christmas, wherever you are."


• The Hornets have played two of the best defensive games of their season over the past two games after some rotation changes by head coach James Borrego. Malik Monk and Frank Kaminsky have been glued to the bench over the last couple games as Borrego has opted to go with veterans and rookie Miles Bridges.


• The Celtics are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the longest slide of their season.