Hornets get blown out by the Celtics, 119-103

Tonight’s game with the Boston Celtics was close for a little over one quarter. From there, the home team asserted themselves and they didn’t miss for most of the night. The Hornets trailed by at least 30 for most of the second half and eventually lost 119-103. Charlotte falls to 16-16 on the season. Boston came into tonight’s game on a three game losing streak and they were motivated to get back on track.

Kemba Walker led the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-15 shooting and Willy Hernangomez added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Malik Monk also had 13 points in limited minutes. For the Celtics, Kyrie Irving had 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 17 points. The Celtics improve to 19-13 on their season.

After the first quarter, the Hornets couldn’t find a way to generate stops. Charlotte only trailed by three at the end of the first quarter after Kyrie and Kemba went shot for shot for the first few minutes. The Celtics started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go up double digits. Despite trying to keep pace, the Hornets were unable to do so which led to a 21 point halftime deficit.

The second half featured more of the same. Boston had a +10 advantage on the glass including 11 offensive rebounds in this game. Despite not having center Aron Baynes, the return of Al Horford boosted the Celtics. He had 10 points, five rebounds and six assists in 19 minutes.

The Hornets have three days of rest during Christmas. On Wednesday night, Charlotte heads on the road to face the Brooklyn Nets. Kenny Atkinson’s team is the hottest team in the eastern conference despite losing Caris LeVert to injury early in the season. The Hornets will be looking to go back over the .500 mark after a tough loss tonigh.