Tatum, Fournier spearhead rout of shorthanded Hornets
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had 22 points and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics blew past the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets 116-86 on Sunday.
Evan Fournier had four 3-pointers and 17 points. Robert Williams finished with 16 points and eight rebounds to help Boston post its second straight victory.
The Celtics trailed by nine in the first quarter before taking command in the third, outscoring the Hornets 40-27 for a 28-point lead.
Boston made213-pointers. Former Celtics guard Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 22 points and seven assists. Devonte’ Graham added 11 points.
The 30-point loss is the Hornets’ worst of the season.
Charlotte was without three of its top scorers. LaMelo Ball (fractured right wrist) and Mali k Monk( sprained right ankle) were joined by Gordon Hayward, another former Celtic, on the injured list after he sprained his right foot during a win at Indiana.
The Hornets are 5-3 since Ball’s injury on March 20 but have lost two of their last three, with two games left on a six-gametrip.
Hayward’s injury derailed his first chance to play against his former team Sunday after he declined a player option with the Celtics last offseason and was dealt to the Hornets, ending his disjointed three-year stint in Boston.
Charlotte led 18-9 in the first quarter but couldn’ t keep up with Boston’ s outside shooting.
The Celtics outscored the Hornets 33-17 in the second quarter and were 10 for 27 from 3-point range in the first half. Charlotte made just 4 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc and had nine turnovers leading to eight Boston points.
Hornets coach James Borrego acknowledged before the game that the injuries would require his teamto collectively find new ways to score, saying they couldn’t rely too heavily on Rozier or Graham.
While Charlotte did a decent job of spreading the ball around, it relied too heavily on outside shots that weren’t falling.
For the night the Hornets shot just 40% from the field (32 of 80) and were 10 of 31 beyond the arc.
The Hornets finished with 17 turnovers, leading to 15 Boston points.
Tatum splashed a 3-pointer to beat the horn to end the third quarter. Smart beat the second-quarter buzz er with a corner 3 to end the first half and sent Boston to the locker room with a 58-43 lead.
The Celtics’ Semi Ojeleye (left side strain) and Tristan Thompson (post health and safety protocols reconditioning) were both out.
The Celtics have Monday off before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.