Celtics severely outrebound Hornets to win in Terry Rozier’s return to Boston
When the Charlotte Hornets rebound like this, it doesn’t much matter what else they do well.
The Hornets trailed on the boards by 20 or more throughout the second half to lose on the road to the Boston Celtics 119-93 on Sunday.
Former Duke star Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 39 points for the Celtics, who improved to 20-7. Hornets guard Devonte Graham finished with 23 points and 10 assists.
The Celtics outrebounded the Hornets 57-27.
Nice buzz
Graham’s first quarter was the definition of offensive efficiency: He scored or assisted on nine of the Hornets’ 13 field goals, and made 5-of-6 attempts from 3-point range. If he wanted to show mentor Kemba Walker firsthand how much he has progressed, he sure succeeded.
Bee stings
The first half was one of the best of the season for the Hornets, except for one huge flaw: rebounding. They were beaten on the boards 25-13, which translated to the Celtics scoring 11 second-chance points to the Hornets’ two. Just a slightly better job of defensive rebounding and the Hornets could have gone into halftime with a solid lead.
Building blocks
Hornets coach James Borrego’s faith in second-round rookie Cody Martin is so high at this point. Borrego says Martin possesses very high defensive IQ. Asked to define that, Borrego said Martin already can anticipate what the opposing offense is about to do. A player who can only react to offensive actions is always limited in his defensive potential.
Beyond the numbers
Rookie P.J. Washington worked out individually pre-game, rehabbing from surgery Monday on a broken finger. Borrego said this was his third such workout, as he looks to get comfortable with the splint he will likely need to play with when he returns. There is still no timeline for Washington’s return. The Hornets don’t play again until Friday, and Borrego sounded encouraged Washinigton is progressing.
This story was originally published December 22, 2019 at 8:20 PM.
