Boston Celtics (54-25) beat Charlotte Hornets (43-37) 113-102 at home on Tuesday, April 7, after falling far behind. The Celtics were down 11 at one quarter break and still finished 11 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Hornets had the better start, winning the first 31-20 to lead by 11 after one. The Celtics cut into the deficit with a 35-30 second quarter, though the Hornets still led by 6 at halftime.
The Celtics won the third 35-26 to turn the game around, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 23-15; the Celtics finished the job for a 113-102 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 59.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 52.3% for the Hornets. The Celtics grabbed 33.3% of their own misses, while the Hornets recovered 30.4%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 92 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 123.5 points per 100 possessions to 111.5 for the Hornets.
Who carried the comeback
LaMelo Ball was the game's biggest individual force for CHA: 36 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast on 12-24 shooting. His Game Score of 25.5 led everyone. His team was -1 with him on the floor.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 35 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast on 13-29 shooting, good for a 20.2 Game Score.
Miles Bridges (13 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 68% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 5-1.
The Celtics are now 54-25, and the Hornets are 43-37. The Celtics last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.