The Boston Celtics couldn’t put the Golden State Warriors away Friday night, but Saturday night was a different story.
Less than 24 hours removed from that draining double-overtime affair, the Celtics held up down the stretch to earn an impressive 98-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Boston let an 11-point lead slip away in the third quarter but closed the game on a 12-4 run to seal the victory against the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas carried the offensive load for the Celtics, scoring 23 and 21 points, respectively, while Thomas racked up a career-high 13 assists. Jae Crowder chipped in 16 points, and Nicolas Batum scored a team-high 21 points for Charlotte.
Boston’s win moves the club to 14-10 and snaps the Hornets’ four-game winning streak. The Celtics now are 10-0 in the second game of back-to-backs on the road dating back to last season’s All-Star break.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
BUZZ HANGOVER CITY
Both teams were involved in exciting, exhausting affairs Friday night. As expected, both teams felt the effects of the quick turnaround.
Neither the Celtics nor the Hornets could find much offensive rhythm in the first quarter. The two teams combined for just 33 points in the game’s first 12 minutes, with Boston shooting an abysmal 29 percent (7 for 27) and Charlotte shooting 33 percent (7 for 21).
BOMBS AWAY
The Hornets kept shooting, though, and the shots started to fall in the second quarter.
Charlotte went on a 9-2 run midway through the frame by making three consecutive 3-pointers, two courtesy of big man Spencer Hawes. The Hornets, who are among the league leaders in 3-point attempts at 27.7 per game, had chucked up 20 shots from deep by the half and finished with 35 3-point attempts.
RETURNING FIRE
The Celtics got white hot from behind the arc in the third quarter after hitting just 1 of 10 3-pointers in the first half.
Boston drilled 7 of 10 deep balls while knocking down its first six 3-pointers of the quarter to score 35 points in the frame and open up a double-digit lead.
Bradley and Thomas led the barrage, with Bradley pouring in 11 points in the quarter thanks to three 3-pointers and Thomas adding nine points with the help of two deep balls.
COMEBACK CITY
Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb helped the Hornets roar back in the fourth quarter.
After Batum scored seven consecutive points to close out the third, the Jeremy duo went to work, scoring Charlotte’s first 12 points of the frame to wipe out what once was an 11-point Boston lead and make it a game down the stretch.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Jared Sullinger dropped in a nice little skyhook in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Boston’s tough stretch continues Tuesday when the Celtics return home to face LeBron James and the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff at TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Sam Sharpe/USA TODAY Sports Images
