Final: Celtics 108, Hornets 87 -- C's cruise to sixth straight win

The Celtics got their sixth straight win of the year on Wednesday night and it ended up being their easiest as they controlled the better part of 48 minutes against the Hornets in a 108-87 win. Kemba Walker struggled early on in his Charlotte homecoming but recovered with 11 second half points to post 14 points and 6 assists on the night. In the face of those early woes, Gordon Hayward (20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) and Jayson Tatum (23 points, 9 rebounds) picked up the slack, setting the pace for five Celtics in double figures including Jaylen Brown (12 points) in his return to the line. Strong defense in this one kept the Hornets from ever threatening in the second half as they were limited to just 38 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent shooting from 3-point range. No Hornet struggled more than Terry Rozier who managed just three points (1-of-11 FG) in his first matchup against his former team.

The Celtics improved to 6-1 overall with the victory and are now in a tie with the Lakers for the best record in NBA with the finale of their road trip looming in San Antonio on Saturday night.

—18-4 Celtics run midway through the first quarter opens up a 15-point lead for the C's.

—Hayward continues his hot streak to start with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

—Some terrific passing by Smart hitting Hayward on cuts and in transition to start the game.

—Another block for Theis. He leads the league in block rate with 11 percent entering tonight’s game.

—Hayward over his last five quarters is shooting 23-of-28 from the field with 53 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He’s got a game-high 14 points through one.

—Tough few minutes for Timelord who goaltender a shot below the rim.

—Kemba Walker not forcing the action early with just two shot attempts in the first quarter and three points. Letting others do the heavy lifting so far for C’s offense.

—No signs of rusty from Jaylen Brown early in limited minutes.

• Celtics Notebook: Kemba preps for homecoming, Jaylen Brown set to return after battling infection


• Perimeter defense will need to be a concern tonight for the C's as the Hornets are a surprising 7th in the league in 3-point shooting percentage despite losing Walker this offseason. PJ Washington, Devonte Graham and Marvin Williams are all shooting over 45 percent from 3-point range to start the year.


• Terry Rozier is second on the Hornets in scoring with 16.9 points per game. He's also shooting 41 percent from the field, which is incredibly a career-high for him.


• Starting swingman Nicolas Batum remains sidelined due to a broken middle finger. Washington is probable.