If the Boston Celtics held a team meeting after Sunday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, its only purpose would be to slap each other on the back.
Two days after the Celtics aired their grievances following a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston came out and ran the Charlotte Hornets off the floor with a 119-103 win at TD Garden.
The Celtics held a slim advantage after the first quarter, but exploded for 39 points in the second to take a 21-point halftime lead and they never looked back.
Kyrie Irving had it cooking early, scoring 14 first-quarter points en route to a 25-point night. Jayson Tatum (17), Marcus Morris (12), Al Horford (10) and Daniel Theis (10) also scored in double figures.
With the win, the Celtics improve to 19-13, while the Hornets fall to 16-16.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE:
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford
BATTLE OF THE STARS
The Celtics came out of the gates firing, opening the game on a 9-0 run that was fueled by seven points from Irving.
Charlotte didn’t fold early, though, as the Hornets responded with an 18-9 burst to tie the game midway through the first stanza. Irving fired right back with five quick points to push the Celtics ahead, but Kemba Walker answered the spurt with a 5-0 run of his own to even the score at 23 with under three to play.
Boston closed the period on a 6-3 run to take a 29-26 lead after one.
Irving led the Celtics with 17, while Walker paced the Hornets with 14.
BOSTON BURTS
Boston opened the second with a flurry, putting together an 11-2 run to take a 40-28 edge with nine minutes to play.
Charlotte tried to claw its way back, with a Tony Parker layup cutting the lead to eight a few minutes later, but Morris answered with a quick 5-0 run, and then Terry Rozier found Horford for a dunk to push the lead to 15 and force Charlotte to take a timeout.
The stoppage of play didn’t do much for Charlotte, as the Celtics continued to get whatever they wanted on offense for the remainder of the quarter, with an Irving 3-pointer pushing the lead to 22 with two minutes remaining in the half.
The Celtics outscored the Hornets 39-21 in the period and led 68-47 at halftime.
Irving had a monster half, tallying 23 points, while Morris added 10 for the C’s. Walker led Charlotte with 18.
TOTAL CONTROL
After taking over in the second quarter, the C’s continued to assert their will in the third.
Boston opened the frame on a 12-6 run to grow the lead to 27 and the C’s lead hovered between 25 and 30 for the remainder of the quarter. The Hornets were unable to get much going offensively and Irving, Tatum and the C’s offense picked their defense apart.
The Celtics outscored Charlotte 26-20 in the third and led 94-67 after three.
Irving led all scorers with 25 through three quarters. Tatum (17), Morris (12) and Horford (10) also were in double figures for Boston.
GARBAGE TIME
Both teams emptied their benches to begin the fourth quarter as the Celtics had the game firmly in hand.
Time Lord did his thing in the final frame.
The Hornets bench won the quarter 36-25 to make the final score more respectable.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Go up and get it, G!
UP NEXT
The Celtics will take the floor again Tuesday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers for a Christmas Day bout. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
