BSJ Game Report: Celtics 127, Hornets 116 - Hot start, cold finish, and Jayson Tatum to the rescue

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Charlotte Hornets with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics and Hornets participated in a chaotic first quarter in which Boston was clearly better but a bit too sloppy to properly pull away. Derrick White took care of that in the second quarter, hitting 6 of 8 threes for an 18-point quarter to put Boston up 18 at the half. The barrage continued into the second half to build the lead to 28, but the Celtics started missing, fouling and turning the ball over and the lead was cut to 16 heading into the fourth. The lead lingered around there basically the rest of the way, and the Celtics needed to bring Jayson Tatum back in to close things out for the win.

Box Score

Headlines

Disappointing finish: The Celtics were up 28 but then things fell apart to a point where Tatum had to come in to finish the game. He had been on the bench with a comfortable 30 minutes played, but he ended up playing 37. 

“We decided for a period of time to throw the ball to the team in white jerseys instead of the black ones,” Joe Mazzulla said, later adding. “I think the most important thing is just continuing to praise the fact that we are a hard-playing basketball team regardless of the score 95 percent of the time. But you’ve gotta just fight for habits and that’s really where the execution comes in. We had 15 turnovers for 25 points and that is a recipe for getting yourself in trouble throughout games.”

They had a scoreless stretch that lasted more than five minutes at the end of the third quarter that made a laugher competitive. Tatum could have sat for the whole fourth quarter, but instead he played 37 minutes. 

Another incredible shooting night: They started missing late, so they finished shooting 45.5% from deep, led by an outrageous 8-14 from White. 

“Every time I shot it, it felt great. And the guys were up supporting me and cheering me on,” White said of his crazy early heater. He was 7-9 in the first half. “(Marcus) Smart was worried about his record … he told me he got 11, so, he was a little bit worried about it but supporting me at the same time. So, it’s a lot of love.”

Mike Muscala debuts: More on him separately, but he walked in the door and launched 8 3-pointers. 

“That's what I gotta bring offensively,” he said. “I maybe passed up one or two there. But great passers on this team all around the board. So it's just a blessing to be out there and just move the ball. It’s fun.” 

He’ll fit right in. 

TURNING POINT

Jayson Tatum checked back into the game with 7:03 left and scored 13 of the final 19 points for the Celtics. 

THREE UP

Jayson Tatum: 41 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists on the night. He shot 13-21 from the field (61.9%), 5-10 from deep, and 10-12 from the line. If Tatum played the Hornets every game, they might induct him into the Hall of Fame while he was still playing. 

He became the youngest player to hit 1,000 3-pointers in his career. Here’s what he had to say about that milestone: 

“To be the youngest to ever do something in this league, I try not to think of other things I have accomplished but that one, when you think about the youngest and all the players that have played in this league -- and obviously the game has evolved right? We shoot a lot more 3s now than guys back in the day but for me, the coolest part was I saw the guy who previously held the record was Bradley Beal. Obviously, it's been talked a lot about our relationship and him being my big brother and mentored me when I was in high school and still to this day. That was the coolest part for me and I know he's probably genuinely happy for me too and that's the best part of it. Somebody I want to be like and helped me get to this point, being very happy for me means the world. For me to break the record and pass him, finding that out was pretty cool.”

I actually found this quote endearing. The relationship he and Beal have is a special one, and you can see he genuinely feels touched to have this connection to him. 

Derrick White: He was shooting the most confidence I’ve ever seen. There was no hesitation to any shots he took. And oh, by the way, he had 10 assists in the game, 7 of them in the 2nd half when his shot started to fade. The only reason I’m not featuring him more tonight is that there isn’t much more to say about how he’s playing right now. He’s on a stretch of some of the best basketball of his life. 

Mike Muscala: He seemed comfortable from the start. 

“I joked with him, he hit his first shot, and he was sitting on the bench, I was like, ‘Man, that’s big time,’” Tatum said. “To come to a new team, never practiced with us, to come in and knock down your first shot, just as a basketball player, I know how good that felt.”

It’s clear how he’s going to help this team. His minutes were critical in Al Horford’s absence.

ONE DOWN

Malcolm Brogdon: Just an off night for Brogdon. Scoring 3 points on 1-6 shooting is pretty rough, but not as rough as being a -12 in a game the team once led by 28 and won by 12. I’m not going to beat him up over an off night because those happen. However, just an average night from Brogdon probably closes this game out without any added burden on Tatum. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER (AND A NOTE THAT JAYSON TATUM MIGHT REGRET LATER)

- They're closing out strong

After the loss to Phoenix, I said the final six games before the break were critical. The Bucks are, pardon the pun, charging hard in the standings and the Sixers were on fire. But the Celtics managed to beat the Sixers as part of a three-game winning streak, and they have huge games against the Grizzlies and Bucks coming up. 

The Bucks have won nine straight games, but they still haven't overtaken first place. The Celtics have found ways to hold on, leaning on their depth to get through some injuries and rest. 

- Charlotte is so bad

They have some talent, but it’s amazing how much they’ve swung and missed on moves over the course of their team building. They can’t seem to get much right. The big swings for Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward seemed outrageous at the time and it’s still killing them to this day. 

- Tatum feels bad about breaking Jaylen Brown’s face

This isn’t a take. I just wanted to share Tatum’s comments when he was asked about helping Brown pick out the mask he’ll have to wear whenever he returns (he’ll be reevaluated next week, so it might not be a long absence). 

“I mean that’s the least I can do, right? I feel like I need to buy him a car or something,” he said. “First time all season me and him both crash from the corner, and I end up elbowing him in the face. Obviously, I feel terrible, a freak accident, but whether it’s a mask or buying him a car, I think I got it.”

Ooh a car? What kind, Jayson? 

“Something safe.”

I’ll be honest, if I was making Tatum money and I did that to a teammate, even accidentally, I’d definitely be out car shopping with him immediately. Brown should absolutely cash in on that.

Next up: Memphis is in town for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.