Charlotte Hornets fall to Boston Celtics for fifth loss in last six

The Boston Celtics might not own the Charlotte Hornets, but they sure have a lease with an option to buy.

Since the Celtics traded for point guard Isaiah Thomas last season, the Celtics have dominated the Hornets. They won for the second time this season in Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, 102-89.

The Hornets (15-13) have lost five of their last six games. This one renewed a troubling pattern: When the Hornets start slow and commit abundant turnovers (17), they give themselves little chance to win.

Rookie Frank Kaminsky scored a career-high 23 points and added seven rebounds for the Hornets. Celtics forward Jae Crowder finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and center Kelly Olynyk finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Three who mattered

Kaminsky: His growth at both ends of the court sped up dramatically in December.

Crowder: Boston’s small forward was an efficient scorer and aggressive rebounder.

David Lee: He was the Celtics’ only effective reserve.

Observations

▪  Center Al Jefferson served the last of his five-game suspension against the Celtics. Coach Steve Clifford said before the game that it’s been so busy of late (five games in eight nights) that he hasn’t given much thought to how he’d use Jefferson on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

▪  In similar situations involving an injured player (Jefferson had a calf strain before being suspended by the NBA), Clifford had worked a player back slowly, slowly increasing his minutes.

▪  The Hornets were charged with two defensive 3-seconds violations in the first quarter. Not good.

▪  The Celtics started Jared Sullinger at power forward. He had been out with back spasms.

▪  The Hornets and Celtics combined for 22 turnovers in the first half.

Worth mentioning

▪  The Hornets committed two defensive 3-seconds violations in the first quarter.

▪  The Hornets’ five starters combined for just 20 first-half points.

▪  This was the first of four consecutive home games for the Hornets.

Report card

C OFFENSE: Hopefully, Jefferson’s return will help make scoring less of a struggle.

B DEFENSE: They contained Isaiah Thomas somewhat better than in the recent past.

B- COACHING: Slow starts and too many turnovers are hard for the Hornets to overcome.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets fall to Boston Celtics for fifth loss in last six."