Hornets Demolish Celtics 118-89
Charlotte Hornets demolished the Celtics 118-89, extending their hot streak to 16 wins in their last 19 games and 9 straight covers. They're now 25/1 East contenders after this dominant performance. Hawks also crushed the Bucks 131-113 for their 5th straight win, while OKC edged the Knicks 103-100 with Chet Holmgren dropping 28 points.
The Hornets' dominant victory in Boston marks their sixth consecutive win by a margin of 15 points or more. This ties the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors for the second-longest such streak in the history of the NBA. Charlotte's offense was firing on all cylinders, with Kon Knueppel leading the balanced attack with 20 points. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each contributed 18 points, while Coby White added 17 points and 6 assists in the lopsided win. The team never trailed and led by as many as 29. The Celtics, playing their sixth game in nine days, appeared sluggish and had their three-game winning streak snapped. Boston shot a mere 38% from the field and committed 16 turnovers, which the Hornets converted into 21 points. This victory pushed Charlotte's record to 32-31, the first time the team has been above .500 since October 26th. The starting lineup of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate now holds a 20-2 record on the season. With the win, the Hornets are now tied with the surging Atlanta Hawks for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They sit just 2.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the coveted sixth seed, which would avoid the play-in tournament. In Oklahoma City's victory, Chet Holmgren was the star, tying his career-high with six 3-pointers on his way to 28 points. The Thunder held off a late rally from the Knicks after New York's OG Anunoby missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer.
