Celtics-Hornets takeaways: Hauser catches fire from 3 in C’s win
Takeaways from Celtics vs. Hornets: Hauser lights up from three in C’s victory
The Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night to complete their six-game road trip.
Two clubs at the opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings engaged in a competitive first half. The C’s went up six points in the second quarter after trailing the whole first. They did this by locking down defensively. For the rest of the game, they maintained their lead and won easily, 118-104.
Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser led the way with 25 points each while Jaylen Brown was sidelined due to a hand injury. Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis contributed 19 and 20 points, respectively.
Charlotte trailed Miles Bridges (26 points) in the scoring column. Grant Williams, a former Celticcontributed 23 chips.
On Wednesday night, the Celtics (59-16) will make their way back home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (52-22) in what could be a preview of the NBA Finals. Here are the first three lessons learned from Monday’s match.
Jayson Tatum is still unstoppable in Charlotte.
Playing in Charlotte has a special meaning for Tatum. In his last five visits to Spectrum Center, the Duke product has elevated his game.
In those games, Tatum scored 41, 44, 33, 51, and 45 points. In his previous six games versus the Hornets, he had averaged 41.5 points going into Monday.
It was evident early on that he intended to carry on the pattern. With three 3-pointers made in the first two frames, Tatum scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half.
He placedthe climax of yet another outstanding performance with this tremendous jam in the third:
Tatum finished with a double-double, scoring 25 points on 9 of 19 shots and grabbing 10 rebounds (4–10 3PT). In addition, he recorded a block, two steals, and four assists.
The Hornets were unable to muster much of an answer against the five-time All-Star, even though this wasn’t quite the Tatum takeover we’ve witnessed in previous Charlotte games. Plus, with Hauser and Porzingis providing offensive support in the second half, Tatum wasn’t required to do as much.
On April 12, Tatum will get another opportunity to destroy the Hornets in the regular season’s penultimate game.
Sam Hauser decisively ends his shooting rut
Hauser started Monday with an unusual 6-for-19 (31.5) shooting record.percent) in his last three games from beyond the arc, including a 2-for-10 showing at Atlanta. We may safely declare that the mini-slump is over.
After making his first two 3-pointers of the game, the Celtics shooter was barely getting warmed up. He became extremely hot in the second half, going 7 for 11 from beyond the arc (9 for 13 total).
In just 24 minutes, Hauser and Tatum tied for a team-high 25 points.
The 26-year-old has been lights out for Boston this season aside from a brief cold streak. Over the past month, he has put on some of his best performances, such as an 8-for-9 effort in Chicago, a historic 10-for-13 game at Washington, and a 6-for-10 shooting night in Portland.
With at least five made in his last ten games, Hauserthree seconds off the bench That is the same as the most in Celtics history, tied with Payton Prichard.
Grant Williams triumphs over his former group.
Before this year’s NBA trade deadline, Tatum and the C’s squared off against an old friend, Grant Williams, who was sent to Charlotte by the Dallas Mavericks.
Williams had one of his greatest games of the season against his old team. The 25-year-old former “Batman” scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting (2-4 3-PT), which is a higher total than he has scored since dropping 24 points in Utah on February 22.
As Charlotte’s starting center, Williams added two assists, seven rebounds, and more. Even though he lost to his former comrades, he may be proud of his excellent all-around performance.
