The first leg of the Celtics' back-to-back was a success. They went into Charlotte and handled the surging Hornets, despite playing without both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
Strong contributions from Jayson Tatum (32 points, eight rebounds, and two assists) and Payton Pritchard (28 points, six rebounds, and six assists) led the way for Boston as they coasted to a 114-99 victory to extend their winning streak to three games.
Here's what stood out:
The Celtics don’t forget
The Hornets handed Boston one of their worst losses of the season when they topped them by 29 points at TD Garden earlier this month. A game that had so much promise given the high-level both teams were playing heading into it, turned into an absolute dud because of how dominant Charlotte was.
Boston returned the favor on Sunday. They recovered from a slow start and held a lead for almost the entire game. The Cs held the Hornets at a distance, too, leading by double digits for the majority of the final three quarters.
Make no mistake, the Hornets are still playing great basketball, but the Celtics can feel confident should they find themselves matched up against them in the first round of this spring’s playoffs.
It sounds like Ron Harper Jr. avoided a rough injury
Celtics two-way guard Ron Harper Jr. exited Sunday’s matchup with the Hornets just under five minutes into the second quarter, after landing awkwardly while trying to block Kon Knueppel.
The potential injury couldn’t have come at a less opportune time. Harper Jr. was awesome in his first 10 minutes. He gave the Celtics some active defense, hit the glass hard, and poured in seven quick points on a perfect 3-3 from the field.
Harper Jr. headed to the locker room where he was diagnosed with an ankle sprain by the team’s training staff. The Celtics initially listed the 25-year-old as questionable to return, before eventually upgrading him to available early in the second half.
He checked back in with just over three minutes to play in the third, confirming that he’d avoided any serious injury -- a fortunate outcome considering how it looked. Also, with Boston being back in action tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks, it’s tough to imagine that Jayson Tatum will play the second leg of the back-to-back which should spell another opportunity for Harper Jr.
Jayson Tatum loves playing in Charlotte
Speaking of Tatum, he made the most of his leg of the back-to-back. It was apparent very early that the Celtics star brought his A game, when he went soaring down the lane for a two-handed flush for Boston’s first bucket of the evening.
JT at it early 🫣 pic.twitter.com/38hFMCKDRI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 29, 2026
By the end of his first shift, Tatum had already poured in nine points and dished two assists. He put an absolute onslaught on Charlotte’s defense in the first half, racking up 20 points before the second-quarter buzzer.
JT kept on rolling in the second half with 12 more points, to bring his total to 32 on the evening. It marked the first time since returning from his torn Achilles that the five time All-NBA forward has eclipsed the 30-point mark.
He wound up with eight assists and five rebounds to go along with his scoring spectacle.
There’s just something about Charlotte, I suppose. Tatum loves to play at Spectrum Center, an arena where he’s scored 44, 45, and 51 points already this decade.