Sam Hauser missed a 3-pointer, Jrue Holiday made one, and Payton Pritchard missed another from deep. The Celtics missed three 3-pointers in a 10-second span midway through the fourth quarter but grabbed each rebound before Derrick White made a teardrop floater.
The Hornets then called a timeout, and it marked their downfall.
Playing without Jaylen Brown, on the final stretch of their longest road trip of the season, and facing a familiar but inferior opponent, the Celtics managed to avoid a letdown. The trip had some challenges after consecutive losses to the Hawks last week, but the Celtics found enough energy to finish strong with a 118-104 victory over the Hornets on Monday night.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 20 as the Celtics pulled ahead in the second half for their 59th win of the season. They stepped up their defense towards the end, and Sam Hauser made five 3-pointers in the second half to seal the win against the 18-win Hornets, who were led by Grant Williams with 23 points and seven rebounds.
