Everything you need to know about the Hornets beating the Celtics 124-117 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics suffer an epic collapse in the fourth quarter: A new contender for the worst loss of the season emerged on Saturday night as the Celtics allowed the Hornets to close the game on a 30-5 run over the final eight minutes to steal a win at the Spectrum Center. Kemba Walker (36 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) put on a show late, out-dueling an ice-cold Kyrie Irving (31 points) in the fourth quarter as the visitors fell apart and shot just 10.5 percent from the field (2-of-19) during the Hornets' run. Walker scored 18 of his 36 points in the frame as the C’s failed to get to the free throw line or get stops down the stretch while playing a Hornets team fighting for their playoff lives. Al Horford (knee), Aron Baynes (ankle) and Gordon Hayward (concussion) all did not play in the loss, while Jaylen Brown chipped in with 29 points off the bench on 10-of-13 FG.
Another step back in the battle for homecourt: The Celtics dropped a full game behind the Pacers for the No. 4 seed after dropping a very winnable game on the road. They have lost three straight games overall and are now two games below .500 (17-19) away from the TD Garden. The slide puts all sorts of pressure on the C's to take care of business against Indiana in two straight Friday night tilts against their likely first-round opponents. Boston will likely need to take both games to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics started throwing up selfish shots after putting themselves up by 18 points, featuring pull up 3s from Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier, along with an ill-advised turnover from Jaylen Brown driving into the traffic. The miscues opened the door for an 8-0 Hornets run, which breathed life back into Charlotte, swinging the momentum for the remainder of the contest.
INJURY REPORT
Robert Williams suffered a scary fall in the second quarter after falling directly on his back and tailbone upon missing a putback dunk. He stayed down for a couple of minutes before walking off the floor under his own power. He was diagnosed with a bruised lower back and did not return after earning the first start of his career at center.
Jayson Tatum also suffered a back injury in the final minute of the game and was being evaluated by team doctors, according to Brad Stevens.
TWO UP
Kyrie Irving in the first quarter:
The All-Star put the Celtics on his back early, attacking with regularity in the halfcourt and transition to score 16 first-quarter points on 7-of-9 shooting. He also grabbed a team-high three rebounds in the frame, but the hot offensive start helped put the visitors in front by six after the opening 12 minutes.
Jaylen Brown:
After taking just three shots in Wednesday’s loss against the Sixers, Brown was far more aggressive in this matchup out of the gate. He scored 17 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting and was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, carrying Boston’s bench on a night they were shorthanded without Aron Baynes and Gordon Hayward. He finished with 29 points, one short of his season-high.
TWO DOWN
Jayson Tatum:
The second-year forward continues to battle through a shooting slump over the past few weeks. He missed his first five shots on Saturday night, including several open looks on his way to a 5-of-17 performance. He’s shooting just 21 percent from 3-point range in the month of March.
Irving in the fourth quarter:
The All-Star went into hero mode as the Celtics collapsed down the stretch, settling for long contested 3s during crunch time, none of which went down. He also was stripped by Miles Bridges in the final minute in a one-point game, ruining the C’s best chance of re-taking the lead against an unsettled Hornets defense.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
I don’t get why Brad Stevens benched Marcus Smart for final two minutes:
Smart had a couple of offensive fouls on back-to-back possessions in the final minute of the fourth quarter and that was apparently enough to earn the ire of Stevens, who opted for Rozier over him for the final 2:22 of the game. The move was puzzling on a number of fronts. One of Smart’s offensive fouls was bad (he pushed off) but another was a designed post up where Smart got a bit too aggressive. It was nothing egregious, yet Stevens felt inclined to bench him for Rozier. Walker produced to score seven straight points for the Hornets to help them take the lead, all while the C’s best defensive player watched from the sidelines. Rozier also proceeded to take a highly questionable 3 with 17 seconds remaining in a three-point game, ruining Boston’s final chance of the night to take a lead. On a night when stops were tough to come by for Boston, dumping Smart for Rozier seemed like a decision that only added to the bleeding.
The Celtics may have a couple of the worst losses in the NBA this year:
It’s hard to imagine a loss that’s worse than blowing a 28-point lead, but managing to cough up an 18-point advantage in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter takes the cake. All year long, this team has shown minimal poise when the opposing teams make big runs and they delivered perhaps their worst performance of the year on that front in Game 73 of the regular season. It’s looking more and more like games like these will define this group for the 2018-19 season because it’s hard to envision them overcoming these demons at this point to make a deep run into the postseason. The most consistent part of this team right now is their tendency to fold in tough spots. Whether or not they can learn from it and rectify it will ultimately decide their postseason fate.
