Boston Celtics (50-24) beat Charlotte Hornets (39-36) 114-99 on the road on Sunday, March 29, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics had the better start, winning the first 27-21 to lead by 6 after one. The Celtics kept the pressure on with a 36-28 second quarter, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The teams matched each other with 26 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Celtics remained ahead by 14 entering the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 25-24; the Celtics finished the job for a 114-99 regulation win.
What decided it
The Celtics took better care of the ball, turning it over on 5.6% of possessions compared with 11.9% for the Hornets. The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 59% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.6% for the Hornets. Those extra possessions were crucial.
At roughly 91 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 125.2 points per 100 possessions to 108.8 for the Hornets.
Who made the difference
Jayson Tatum was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 32 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast on 12-23 shooting. His Game Score of 26.9 led everyone. His team was +15 with him on the floor.
Liam McNeeley led the Hornets with 10 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast on 2-3 shooting, good for a 10.5 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 37% for the Celtics.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 4-1.
The Celtics are now 50-24, and the Hornets are 39-36. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.