Hornets vs. Celtics Highlights – 10/7/22
Ball almost notches double-double, Charlotte slowly rounds up to get fit
Back at The Triad for the first time since 2019, the Charlotte Hornets put on a show and played their best basketball of the preseason in a competitive 112-103 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night in Greensboro, NC.
LaMelo Ball dazzled his way to a game-high 23 points, four rebounds, nine assists and three steals before fouling out early in the fourth quarter after playing 30 minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, marking his third straight double-digit preseason performance.
Charlotte took a 35-22 lead late in the first frame, good for its highest-scoring quarter of the preseason, thus far. Boston regrouped in the second to enter the break by five points, then hit seven 3-pointers in the third to take a 93-84 lead into the fourth. Both teams eventually tore up their lineups down the stretch and the Celtics hung on for a nine-point win.
“I think the first trimester, [that’s] the most inside out and the best beat [we’ve had] up the floor,” Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said afterward. “We had a lot of good, sustained segments of good defense, but we’re not disciplined. We’re hanging around and helping too much, so there are things like that that, in this league, are going to kill you. But our defense, overall, this was by far our best defensive game. So, we were definitely better.”
While the Hornets shot just 38% and 27% from 3-point range (10-for-27), they committed just 10 turnovers that led to just nine Boston points, despite playing at their more normal high pace. . They also grabbed at least 16 offensive rebounds for the third straight game (17), leading to 20 second-chance points.
“We played faster,” added Clifford. “That is what we have to do. It’s as simple as this: we have to run the floor. If LaMelo or Terry [Rozier] he has the ball and there are options ahead, we are going to be able to get the ball into the paint again and again and again. Inside our roster, that’s how we’re built. We have to get used to managing every possession.”
Jaylen Brown (19 points) and Derrick White (18) led the victorious Celtics, who chose to seat Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart for the contest. Justin Jackson (16), Payton Pritchard (15) and Noah Vonleh (14 and 13 rebounds) also scored at least 10 points.
The Hornets will return to preseason action on Monday, October 10, to take on the Washington Wizards beginning at 7 pm ET at Spectrum Center.