Key Moment
The Boston Celtics sleepwalked through the first 20-plus minutes of their Saturday-night matchup with Charlotte before Rob Williams sparked them out of their slumber.
Williams used his elite energy over the final three-plus minutes of the first half to wake the C’s up after they had fallen behind by as many as 16 points. Amid 12 seconds of just one possession, Williams grabbed an offensive rebound, assisted in another, and then grabbed one more before putting home an and-one layup to bring Boston’s large contingency of road faithful to their feet.
It truly felt as if that single possession sparked the C’s back to life, as they went on to dominate the remainder of the quarter and the game. Jayson Tatum dunked one home and then drilled a 3-pointer, and then Malcolm Brogdon nailed a triple of his own to make it a 10-0 Celtics run over the course of only 1:27 of playing time.
That run sliced a 15-point deficit down to five, and the C’s got it down to four before halftime.
Just like that, in a matter of minutes, Charlotte had missed out its opportunity to put Boston away, and the Celtics were fueled with momentum.
Boston carried that momentum into the second half and regained a lead, at 73-72, at the 7:24 mark of the third period. The Celts led the rest of the way, eventually pulling ahead by as many as 18 points en route to a 122-106 victory.
Key Player
Al Horford quietly put together what may be his best all-around stat line of the season Saturday night in Charlotte.
Horford, while playing nearly 33 minutes, compiled 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals while helping Boston to outscore Charlotte by 11 points while he was on the floor. His 16 points are his most since scoring 17 back on Dec. 23, and his six assists set a new season high.
The big man had an efficient shooting night while compiling his 16 points, too. He canned six of his 10 shots overall, which included a 4-for-7 effort from long distance. He is now shooting 44.1 percent overall from long distance on the season.
Box Score Nuggets
- Boston made 19 shots from long distance, while Charlotte made just eight.
- Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 33 points.
- Malcolm Brogdon led all reserves with 30 points.
- Marcus Smart led the game with 12 assists while committing just two turnovers.
- LaMelo Ball led Charlotte with 31 points.
- The Hornets scored 60 points in the paint, compared to Boston's 48.
- Al Horford stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
- Rob Williams led Boston with 12 boards, while Mason Plumlee led the game with 16 for Charlotte.
- Both teams grabbed 46 rebounds during the contest.
- The Celtics totaled 36 assists to mark their second-highest total of the season.
Quote of the Night
"I felt like they were playing at a different level than we were, and we had to kind of match that intensity, and for us, it started with Rob (Williams) and his energy."
- Al Horford on what turned the night around for Boston