Celtics Wrap: Boston Falls Short Of Road Trip Sweep In Overtime Loss To Hornets

In the final tilt of a four-game road trip, the Boston Celtics lost to the Charlotte Hornets 121-118 in overtime at Spectrum Center on Monday night.

With the loss, Boston falls to 11-3 while Charlotte moves to 4-9.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Looking for a sweep on the road trip, Boston would need help from deeper ends of the roster with Al Horford (rest) and Derrick White (personal) unavailable on Monday night.

Jayson Tatum put the offense on his back in a massive performance that included 31 points in the first half. The team needed more from a reserve. That’s where Payton Pritchard delivered.

The Boston guard started perfect from beyond the arc to add another layer to the offense, helping the Celtics end the first quarter on a 16-5 run.

Charlotte started the second half on a 14-5 run of its own and battled with young talent behind 36 points from LaMelo Ball.

In the fourth quarter, Pritchard sparked the bench lineup to help Boston push ahead. Ultimately, Charlotte delivered another counter punch with a 9-0 run in the final minute to send the game to overtime.

The teams went back-and-forth throughout the extra period, with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday making extra chances for the Celtics. Charlotte delivered the final play as Miles Bridges drilled a three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Jayson Tatum missed the third of three free throws in the final seconds as the Hornets held on for the win.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum stayed hot in his recent stretch in Charlotte, leading the way with 45 points.

— Pritchard drained his first five three-point attempts to finish the night with a season-high 21 points.

— Brown battled through foul trouble to contribute 13 points.

WAGER WATCH

Tatum entered Monday night’s contest at +480 to score the first basket, per FanDuel SportsBook. With his opening mid-range jumper, a $100 wager on Tatum would have cashed for $480 and a $580 total payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics return home on Wednesday for a major Eastern Conference showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.