87
96
If there was one thing that we learned from the 10-game losing streak, we learned that there is a tough mountain to climb, and for the Charlotte Hornets, they're starting to build themselves a winning streak, coming off a thrilling win last Friday night at home against the New York Knicks, and carrying that momentum into last night's game against the Boston Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena. The end result from this was that they did battle hard and stayed with it, and they were rewarded with a 96-87 win over Boston. Charlotte improves their record to 6-15 on the season, while the Celtics fall to 7-13, despite the Celtics late run in the 4th, but the Hornets knew that they had some crucial stops along the way.
"We just had to get some stops. We knew they(Boston) could get hot fast. We just had to step up our defense." said center Al Jefferson, who finished the night with 23 points to go with 14 rebounds. Joining "Big Al" in the effort for the Hornets were two other double-figure scorers on the night for Charlotte, including Kemba Walker, who was 5-of-14 from the field to finish with 18 points on the night and Lance Stephenson had a solid outing for the Hornets, finishing up with 13 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to the lineup for the Hornets after missing the last few games, and he had 9 points on the night in the win for Charlotte. As a team, Charlotte would end up shooting just 41.7% from the field.
And for Boston, Brad Stevens was pleased with the effort, but it didn't go the way it would be planned for the Celtics. "We made a little bit of a run at the start of the fourth, but we couldn't get quite over the hump."
Rajon Rondo had a triple-double in the loss for Boston with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Jeff Green and Marcus Thornton co-led the Celtics with 16 points on the night, as the Celtics out-shot the Hornets from the field with a 43.7% field goal percentage, and winning the rebounding battle by a 45-44 margin.
The Hornets hope to make it three in a row tomorrow night in Memphis as they take on the Grizzlies at FedExForum for a 8:00 p.m. tip-off, and they'll be back at "The Hive" on Saturday night to square off against the Brooklyn Nets.
Boston Celtics(7-12) vs. Charlotte Hornets(5-15)
Time Warner Cable Arena
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): BOS leads series 50-38
Tonight at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Charlotte Hornets will wrap up their second 3-game homestand in 2 weeks as they welcome in the Boston Celtics to town. The last time Charlotte was in action, it was a thriller to remember at "The Hive", as Kemba Walker's layup at the buzzer snapped the Hornets season-long 10-game losing skid, coming away with a dramatic 103-102 win over New York last Friday.
Scouting the Celtics
Despite having a 7-12 record, the Boston Celtics have been showing some signs of life in Brad Stevens' second year as an NBA head coach. Sure, Rajon Rondo often leads the way for the team, but don't count out Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley, and one of the surprises that the Celtics have so far in Kelly Olynyk. Speaking of Rondo, he has only appeared in 18 games this season averaging just 8.3 points per game, but look for him to improve on his points per game average this season, as Boston pays a visit to Charlotte tonight to take on the Hornets.
Scouting the Hornets
Last Friday night was indeed another thriller at "The Hive", as the Charlotte Hornets would finally end their 10-game losing skid thanks to Kemba Walker's game-winning layup at the buzzer to give Charlotte a dramatic 103-102 win over Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks. The team did finally get some good news, as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to get back on the floor tonight after missing the last several games with a foot injury, and the Hornets are hoping that he can provide some spark tonight, when they take on the Celtics to wrap up another 3-game homestand.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Friday: Charlotte @ Memphis Grizzlies(8:00 p.m.)
Saturday: Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Monday: Charlotte @ Cleveland Cavaliers(7:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Phoenix Suns vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
In this chapter of our "30 Teams in 30 Days" series leading up to the start of the 2014-15 NBA season, we'll take a closer look at the Boston Celtics, who is still in a rebuilding phase after losing some of the familiar names that many fans loves watching for a good number of years, but one face is still there and hoping to turn things around in "Beantown" this season.
Last season's record: 25-57(4th in Atlantic Division/12th in Eastern Conference)
Head Coach: Brad Stevens(2nd season, 25-57 overall)
Arena: TD Garden(18,624)
Website: Celtics.com
When you think of the Boston Celtics, you think about tradition and a legacy of great players that ever donned the Celtic uniform, such as Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. In more recent years, many of the fans saw the presence of "The Big 3" in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Fast forward to last season, when Brad Stevens took over the reigns in Boston, and his first season was a learning curve for Boston, who of course finished the season with a dismal 25-57 season, but many were concerned about the future of Rajon Rondo, who has somewhat taken over as the face of the organization.
When the season starts for Boston, things could either be on the rise, or on the way down for the Celtics as Stevens enters his second year at the helm in Boston, and with Rondo returning to the lineup, along with a lot of fresh, new faces and familiar names, the Celtics may have a breakout, if not a surprise year in the 2014-15 campaign, which may get fans excited again in Boston, as they look to get back to the playoffs and to hopefully bring home their 18th title in franchise history this season.
Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series:
- Friday: New York Knicks
- Saturday: Brooklyn Nets
- Sunday: Philadelphia 76ers
- Monday: Washington Wizards
- Tuesday: Charlotte Hornets
