The Boston Celtics have now crossed the halfway point of the preseason, hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night and moving to 3-0 in their warmup games, claiming the win 114-93.
The Celtics opted to go with the same starting five for a second straight game, opening with Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Mitchell Robinson.
Tatum led the way in scoring for the starters with 19 points in 29 minutes, while Charlotte was paced by Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaün with 16
points each. White also added 19 points for the Celtics, and Robinson had 12 on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Payton Pritchard led the team in playmaking with 11 assists and zero turnovers.
The Celtics took a 28-20 lead out of the first quarter. Robinson scored Boston’s first 6 points, starting with a putback and a lob finish on a pick-and-roll with Tatum.
Tatum also got going early, scoring the first non-Robinson points with a mid-range bucket. He later capped off a 9-0 run with an open triple, and finished the quarter with 11 points and the half with 14. Pritchard also caught fire, checking in and scoring a quick 7 points.
Coming out in the second quarter with Robinson and Neemias Queta sharing the floor, the experimental double-big lineup had a 9-0 run to start, all coming from Derrick White, who went into the half with 13 points.
George, who missed his first six shots, got on the board with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer set up by an offensive rebound from White.
At halftime, the Celtics led 54-44. Boston’s defense shined in the half, helping them win the turnover battle, 13-4. White helped in the matter with four steals.
Keeping the starters on the floor to start the second half, the Celtics opened on a 10-2 run, highlighted by a powerful alley-oop finish from Robinson that again came off a Tatum lob.
Brandon Miller responded with a big third quarter, scoring 12 points and helping get the Charlotte deficit down to as low as 6. Tatum continued to make an all-around impact, scoring 5 points with 3 assists and 4 rebounds in the quarter. Pritchard also found Queta for two late buckets, one of which was an impressive late shot-clock find on a pump-fake step-through move that helped the Celtics carry an 85-77 lead into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Queta continued a productive day by calling his own number, faking a handoff and taking a drive from the perimeter to throw down a one-handed dunk. Queta finished with 16 points in 24 minutes.
Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez checked in early in the quarter, quickly making an impact with a 3-pointer each and a transition play where Gonzalez fed Garza for an easy layup and a 16-point lead.
Garza kept it going after a Hornets timeout, scoring off a nice find from Walsh, and hitting another 3-pointer at the top of the arc.
Halfway through the quarter, the Celtics brought in Ron Harper Jr., Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell, who helped keep Boston in front by double figures. In the final minute, both Cenac and Mitchell scored off their own steals.
Boston will wrap up the preseason in Philadelphia on Friday, October 16, taking on the 76ers for a second time at 7 p.m.
