Celtics-Hornets Live: Al Jefferson Dominant As C’s Lose 96-87 In Charlotte

Final, Hornets 96-87: That’s going to do it. The Celtics score just two points in the final 4:31 as the Hornets pull away for their second straight win.

Next up for the C’s is a date with the New York Knicks, who visit TD Garden on Friday.

Fourth quarter 1:12, Hornets 94-85: Al Jefferson is abusing the Celtics’ interior defense to the tune of 23 points and 14 rebounds, and his latest bucket just might have put this one out of reach.

Fourth quarter 4:25, Hornets 87-85: The Marcus Thornton show rolls on. The reserve guard now has 13 points in the fourth quarter, the last of which cut Charlotte’s advantage to two.

Fourth quarter 5:43, Hornets 87-79: The Hornets have opened it up a bit here in the fourth, getting some tough buckets from Al Jefferson and a big 3-pointer from Marvin Williams.

Meanwhile, Thornton is carrying the Celtics’ offense. He has nine of Boston’s 13 points in the frame.

Fourth quarter 9:57, Hornets 75-72: A Marcus Thornton trey cuts the Hornets’ lead to three. Thornton now is 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, but the Celtics as a whole are struggling mightily from deep. The rest of the team is a meager 2-for-14.

End third quarter, Hornets 73-66: Jeff Green’s 16 points are keeping the Celtics in this game, as they trail by just seven entering the final 12 minutes.

Third quarter 1:53, Hornets 69-59: Fouls are killing the Celtics tonight. Boston has sent Charlotte shooters to the free-throw line 25 times, resulting in 19 points, while visiting the charity stripe just four times itself.

Third quarter 6:04, Hornets 58-53: We’re seeing a bit of chippiness now, as Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson each are slapped with technical fouls after getting into it after the whistle.

Here’s what precipitated that exchange:

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As for what’s happening between the whistles, the Hornets have scored seven of the last nine points to take a five-point lead.

Third quarter 11:59, Celtics 45-40: Second half time. Both teams send their starting lineups back onto the court.

Halftime, Celtics 45-40: Boston shot the ball much better during the second quarter, and they lead by five at the half as a result. The Celtics centers have been especially productive, as Tyler Zeller leads all scorers with nine points and Kelly Olynyk has eight, both on 4-of-6 shooting.

Second quarter 5:22, 32-32: The Celtics employed the same lineup of second-teamers that engineered Monday’s comeback for the first four minutes of the second quarter and saw a nice uptick in efficiency with those players on the floor.

Bench players scored the Celtics’ first 13 points of the frame before a Jared Sullinger 3-pointer knotted the score.

End first quarter, Hornets 22-16: The Hornets finish the first quarter on a 16-6 run. Jeff Green leads all scorers with eight points, while Cody Zeller has seven and Kemba Walker has six for Charlotte.

First quarter 2:28, Hornets 20-14: It’s been a rough shooting night for the C’s so far. Green is 3-for-5 from the floor, but his teammates are a combined 3-for-12.

First quarter 5:24, Hornets 16-10: Jeff Green potted the first six points of the game for Boston, but Charlotte has come on strong since to grab an early six-point lead.

We’ve seen a very deliberate approach from the Hornets, who rarely make of the fast break. Cody Zeller and Kemba Walker each have six points to lead the hosts.

First quarter 11:59, 0-0: Game time. Cody Zeller beats his elder brother for the opening tip, and we are underway.

5:45 p.m. ET: The addition of Lance Stephenson was supposed to help the Charlotte Hornets take the next step. It has not worked out that way so far.

After making a surprising run to the playoffs last season, the team formerly known as the Bobcats has been a mess. Charlotte limps into Wednesday’s matchup with the Boston Celtics at 5-15 after snapping a 10-game losing streak last Friday.

As for Stephenson? He’s averaging just 10.4 points per game, and rumors are swirling that the Hornets might already be looking to ship him out of town.

Charlotte has been led this season by two players with New England ties: former Celtics center Al Jefferson and UConn product Kemba Walker. Jefferson, who was part of the trade that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston, leads the Hornets in scoring (19.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 per game), while Walker paces them in assists (5.6) and steals (1.2).

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will make his return Wednesday after missing 12 games with a fractured foot, but the Hornets will be without rookie guard P.J. Hairston, who was benched after missing practice Tuesday.

Here are your projected starting lineups, including a brother vs. brother matchup between Tyler and Cody Zeller.

Celtics
Rajon Rondo
Avery Bradley
Jeff Green
Jared Sullinger
Tyler Zeller

Hornets
Kemba Walker
Gerald Henderson
Lance Stephenson
Cody Zeller
Al Jefferson

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Follow along with all the action right here, and follow NESN.com Celtics beat writer Zack Cox on Twitter for instant updates and analysis.

Photo via Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports Images