Celtics vs. Hornets takeaways: Off night for the Jays costs C's originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics simply couldn't keep up with the Charlotte Hornets as they dropped Wednesday night's game at TD Garden, 111-102.
Dennis Schroder led the C's with 24 points in the losing effort. Jaylen Brown added 21, and Jayson Tatum had 12 for his lowest point total since Nov. 28.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Former Celtics guard Terry Rozier tallied a game-high 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting for the Hornets. Fellow ex-Celtic Gordon Hayward was quiet in his first game back at TD Garden with five points in 21 minutes. Miles Bridges contributed 22 points for Charlotte and LaMelo Ball put up a triple double (15 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds).
Here's why C's made reported deal for Bol Bol, Dozier
Here are three takeaways from the Celtics' loss, which brings them back to .500 at 23-23 on the season. They'll host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
NBC Sports
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown highlight C's off shooting night
It was another one of those nights for the C's. The shots just wouldn't fall, especially during a nightmare second quarter that included a 1-for-13 stretch. That proved to be the difference in what turned out to be a closer game than you'd expect looking at the box score.
It was an off night for both of the Celtics' All-Stars, Tatum and Brown. The duo combined to go 2-for-18 from 3-point range with Tatum missing all seven of his attempts. Tatum shot 5-for-19 from the field while Brown went 9-for-20. Tatum has gone an uncharacteristic 17-for-64 (26.5%) from beyond the arc so far in January.
The rest of the team shot 49% from the field (25-51) on Wednesday night and 42.9% (12-28) from 3.
Robert Williams' absence is glaring
The good news is Rob Williams didn't miss Wednesday's game due to an injury. The Celtics big man was absent for the second consecutive game due to the birth of his child.
Boston really could've used him in this one, though. They were beat 47-38 on the boards by a team that ranks 29th in the NBA in rebounding. Defensively, the Celtics' bigs (Al Horford, Grant Williams and Enes Freedom) provided little resistance against Charlotte's small-ball lineup.
The performance was the latest example of just how valuable Time Lord is to the C's. It also may have highlighted a need for another reliable big man off the bench ahead of next month's NBA trade deadline.
Hornets win battle of the benches
With Tatum and Brown struggling to make shots, the Celtics had to lean heavily on a short-handed second unit that was without Aaron Nesmith. Dennis Schroder and Grant Williams were inserted into the starting lineup to replace Marcus Smart and Robert Williams.
Romeo Langford and Josh Richardson answered the call with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Unfortunately for Boston, Charlotte's bench stole the show. Kelly Oubre Jr. starred with 18 points (7-14) in 25 minutes. Jaden McDaniels contributed 12 points of his own. Altogether, the Hornets second unit outscored the Celtics' 35-26.
