Hornets fade in fourth quarter and lose to Celtics, 109-92

Miles Bridges notched his second double double of the season while PJ Washington scored a team high 15 points, but the Charlotte Hornets couldn’t avoid the season sweep to the Boston Celtics as they lost, 109-92.

The Hornets got the game started with a pair of 3-pointers by PJ Washington and Devonte’ Graham. The team looked surprisingly focused on the defensive end of the floor despite the early start time, making the Celtics work for every look. The offense was a tad sloppy, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from the Hornets at this point. At the end of one, six Hornets had made exactly one field goal, but none had made any more than that. The Hornets trailed 24-18.

The same story continued for about the first half of the second quarter. The Hornets offense started to come to life, but it seemed like the Celtics were able to quell any notion of a Hornets run with a timely 3-pointer. That changed when the youth was able to put together a good run of play. The Hornets went on a 14-4 run as the quarter wound down, with every point during the run scored by Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, or Dwayne Bacon. Kemba Walker ended the run with a deep 3-pointer that put the Celtics up seven heading into the half.

The Celtics reasserted themselves with a 7-2 run to start the second half, but the Hornets responded. They scored eight straight, including 3-pointers from Washington and Terry Rozier, to narrow the deficit back down to four. After all was said and done, the Hornets were left with that same seven point deficit heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter has been a danger zone for the Hornets against good teams. Today’s was no different. The Celtics built up a 17 point lead a little under six minutes into the fourth quarter. Devonte’ Graham hit a three to temporarily stymie the Celtics run, but it didn’t lead to anything. James Borrego called a timeout in attempt to gather the troops and push for a run, but it didn’t work. Walker converted an and-1 out of the timeout to put the Celtics up 20 and all but ice the game.

Miles Bridges, PJ Washignton, and Dwayne Bacon were the highlights of the night. Bridges finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, most of which game in the first half. Washington finished with 15 points while Bacon chipped in an efficient 11.

The Hornets back court struggled to finish, which has unfortunately been a trend in recent weeks. Rozier scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Graham had 11 on 3-of-12 shooting.

The Hornets will look to start the new year right in Cleveland on Thursday.