November 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) appears to shoot, guarded by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn images Despite tense moments between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets during parts of their Friday night game, there was a lot of love shown afterwards.
The teams meet Saturday night for a rematch in a game also held in Charlotte.
Many Celtics know Hornets coach Charles Lee well. Last season, he was Boston’s assistant coach when the Celtics won the NBA title.
“I think he definitely has his work cut out for him,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said, “but I think he’s handling it with grace. I wish him the best, just not in (this series).”
Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and 11 rebounds as the Celtics won 124-109 on Friday. Lee exchanged hugs with some Celtics on the court after the final buzzer.
So now it’s back-to-back nights for the Hornets to try to break through against the Celtics.
Charlotte’s Grant Williams and Miles Bridges were both ejected Friday night, and the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball was also whistled for a flagrant foul. Williams’ foul on Tatum could have led to bigger problems.
“I’m glad he’s doing well,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum. “What I like most is that he jumped right up, didn’t stay down, didn’t really confuse him. I’m glad he’s doing well. I just like how JT handled it.”
Still, the Celtics were irritated by Williams, who played for Boston from 2019-20 to 2022-23.
“It was definitely intentional,” Brown said. ‘Are you all seeing the same game? He hit him like it was a football game, like Ray Lewis coming down the middle.”
Williams told NBC Sports Boston: “Probably not a hard foul, certainly not intentional. I’m not trying to hurt anyone. We all know that’s one of my best friends in the league.”
Lee has a close relationship with Mazzulla, so perhaps that helped prevent large-scale problems.
“He’s just so open-minded, so creative,” Lee said of Mazzulla. “He just goes with his guts. If it’s something he believes in, that he thinks will help the team, he does it with full passion. I really admire that about him. It’s something I try to do myself. doing.” .”
The Celtics responded to their first loss of the season and won two nights later in Charlotte. They outscored the Hornets 24-10 in the final 7 1/2 minutes, with 15 of those Boston points coming on free throws.
Lee was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter after complaining about a no-call when Charlotte’s Tre Mann drove onto the court.
Maybe it was part of the Hornets’ frustration. By the end of the game, 47 free throws had been attempted, but only 12 of them were made by the Hornets.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla was assessed a technical foul with the Celtics holding a one-point lead.
The Hornets had to appreciate the performance of Ball, who scored 31 points in 31 minutes even though he made a mistake. His four turnovers weren’t too troublesome, but he only had four assists.
The Hornets will be interested in seeing more from Tidjane Salaun, a 19-year-old rookie who scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench on Friday night.
“I loved his energy tonight, I thought he gave us a great boost,” Lee said. “He understands the speed of the game. … I really like him because he brings an extra layer of length and athleticism.”
The Celtics will want to check their perimeter defense after giving up 19 three-pointers. Six Charlotte players had two or more treys.
–Field-level media
