BSJ Game Report: Hornets 125, Celtics 104 - A disturbing regression

Everything you need to know about Boston's 125-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets with BSJ insight and analysis

Box score

Another matinee mess. The Celtics have played some of their worst basketball in afternoon games. For whatever reason, these guys cannot handle the afternoon start time.

“I was hopeful that that had changed,” Stevens said, noting that a couple of recent matinees had gone well after some brutal ones earlier this season. “We got outplayed, outcoached, out-hustled. They were the better team today. I thought that their speed gave us fits and they really pushed the ball. And when they got in the half court, they kept it flying around. I thought we were slow to move it and they were fast to move it.” 

What happened to Jayson Tatum? After playing brilliantly for Boston’s best stretch of the year, Tatum has gotten sloppy with the ball. This turnover was embarrassing. 



Tatum had five more turnovers in this game. He has 19 in his last four games. A guy who handles the ball as much as he does will turn it over from time to time, but he’s having a rough stretch right now.

“I think there are some that are a function of just getting better playing against extra attention, and then there are some that are just a function of, we just have to be more possession-oriented than we are,” Stevens said of his team in general before the game. Tatum is one of the main culprits lately. “You can't throw the ball all over the gym and expect to have a good chance of winning. We just have to be a lot less loose with the ball, we have to be tougher with the dribble, we have to be better with the pass, and we just have to be better with reading that extra attention.”

This hurts in the standings. Boston is now two games out of fourth with 11 games to play. They’re tied with Miami and on the edge of the play-in tournament and a first-round matchup with one of the elite teams instead of a 4/5 series against a more beatable opponent.

TURNING POINT

The Celtics had the ball down 9 at the end of the third quarter when Marcus Smart tried drawing a foul on a 3-pointer. He didn’t get the call, and Charlotte had enough time to go the other way. Miles Bridges drilled a buzzer-beating 3 and Boston went into the fourth down 12 instead of potentially down 6.

TOP PLAY

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1386388476258504706

THREE UP

Grant Williams: He was 3-4 on 3-pointers and he was one of the very few Celtics playing defense. He was very clearly playing at a different speed on the court. His hustle late in the third quarter after offensive rebound was part of Boston’s comeback in the quarter.

Marcus Smart: He personally went on a 10-2 run in the third as Boston was making its push. He also flailed and turned the ball over trying to draw a foul, but he was a huge reason why the Celtics even had a chance. 

Kemba Walker: When he returned from whatever happened to his side (even he couldn’t really explain it after the game), the Celtics energy level changed. He had 10 points in the 3rd to help fuel the team. 

TWO DOWN

Jayson Tatum: The effort just wasn’t there. He wasn’t finishing at the rim, he had five turnovers, and his body language was so off that assistant coach Evan Turner had to try to snap him out of it at one point. He might be due for a night off. 

Jaylen Brown: He had a good third quarter and maybe putting him in the “down” is being a bit harsh just like putting Walker and Smart in the “up” might be a little generous. However, some of his defensive lapses were so glaring and jarring that I had no choice. The shame of it is that he was the fresh player after a few games off with his shoulder bursitis. He should have been better. 

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

This is a loss Boston will regret. This isn’t like February or March where the ridiculous schedule played a role in fatigue. Walker and Brown had days off recently and the Hornets were without two of their best players. 

I wasn’t worked up about the loss to Brooklyn, but these chances to beat teams near them in the standings simply can’t slip through Boston’s fingers this late in the season. It’d be one thing if the Celtics came out, played hard, and were simply beaten by a hot Hornets team. Charlotte got hot because Boston let them get easy looks and get confident. 

Two games behind for fourth and 1.5 games out of fifth isn’t a huge hill to climb for the Celtics, but these blown opportunities at this stage of the season will haunt them if they don’t get themselves together. 

The regression is disturbing. The fact that we’re back here at all is very unsettling.

“They were flying up the floor, they were physical, their switches were great, they protected the rim, they blocked a ton of our shots or at least felt like they impacted a ton of them in the paint,” Stevens said. “Credit them, they deserve it, but at the same time, our b-game is not going to be good enough.”

The Celtics winning formula is simple: They need everyone healthy, and they need everyone to play with high energy on the floor. If they’re not either of those things, their chances of winning drop significantly. If they’re not moving the ball on offense or defending with energy on the other end, they are toast no matter who they’re facing. 

We all know that. They should know that too. That they came out as listless as they did in this game, in this situation, is pretty damning. 

"I think the last few weeks, we have played extremely well, and maybe this game is being held to our past because we've been up and down in the past," Brown said after the game.

He's right, because a loss like this threatens to erase all the good of the past few weeks. It's a relapse of sorts, and this team is out of time to make up for them.