The shooting is what made it a blowout. Boston went 24-of-44 from 3, 55%, and 17 of those makes came before halftime. Derrick White added 18 points and 5 assists. Against a Hornets roster missing Kon Knueppel, Dennis Schroder, Moussa Diabate and Grant Williams, that much shooting was over by the 2nd quarter.
The preview's big worry for Boston was the 2nd half: the team that gave up a 38-point 3rd quarter to Milwaukee and let a 21-point lead get tied. None of that showed up. Boston won the 3rd quarter 26-18, and with the lead past 30 the Celtics didn't have to play 4 real quarters. They played 2 and a half, and that was more than enough. The box score search didn't cover Payton Pritchard, who came in questionable with the eye abrasion and shoulder bruise, so his night goes unreported here.
Charlotte's problem is the same one it's had all week, just worse. The Hornets scored 20, 19 and 18 in the first 3 quarters, and their only even quarter came with the game long over. The 80 points is the lowest of the skid. Before this the Hornets hadn't cracked 105 in any of the losses, and this time they didn't get close to 90. The preview said they could hang early and fade late. On Friday they didn't hang at all.
Naz Reid led Charlotte with 14 points and 6 rebounds, and Tidjane Salaun had 13. Neither number moves the needle when the other side is making 17 threes in a half. The injury list got longer during the game too: Brandon Miller left with a groin issue and didn't come back, which adds 1 more name to a report that already had the Hornets short on shooting and size.
Boston moves to 7-2 and 2-0 in NBA Cup group play, with Tatum looking fresh after the rest night. Charlotte falls to 3-7 with 5 straight losses, and Miller's groin is the thing to watch next. A team that's already this thin can't afford to lose its best healthy wing too.
