Bradley stings Hornets as Celtics prevail
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Avery Bradley scored 31 points as the Boston Celtics pulled away down the stretch to beat the Charlotte Hornets 104-98 on Saturday night at Spectrum Center.
The Celtics went on a 15-2 run midway through the fourth quarter, pushing a 78-77 lead all the way up to 93-79, and they never let the Hornets closer than six from there.
Bradley hit a key 3-pointer early in the 15-2 run and then delivered the final dagger, a 3-pointer with 50.1 seconds left to push the lead to 101-90. He finished the night with eight 3-pointers on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. He also led the Celtics with 11 rebounds and had four assists.
The Celtics (2-1) claimed their first road win of the season. The Hornets (2-1) were looking to start the season 3-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Isaiah Thomas added 24 points for Boston, and Al Horford was the only other Celtics player in double figures with 14 points.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 29 points. Nicolas Batum scored 12 and Frank Kaminsky scored 11 in his first game of the season. The Hornets shot just 40.5 percent from the field, although they outscored the Celtics 25-11 at the free-throw line.
Boston finished 15 of 31 from 3-point range and actually shot better from 3-point range (48.4 percent) than from the field (48.1 percent).
The Celtics led 44-41 at halftime after leading by as many as 14 in the first quarter.
Boston opened the game by hitting five of its first six 3-point attempts and pulled out to a 26-12 lead. The Hornets whittled that margin down to 28-19 after one quarter, then scored the first eight points of the second.
The Celtics wound up hitting eight 3-pointers in the half, including five by Bradley. But the Hornets kept it close by going to the free-throw line a whopping 22 times to just two for Boston, as the officiating crew of Monty McCutchen, Mark Ayotte and Aaron Smith whistled Boston for 16 fouls to just six against Charlotte.
Boston led by as many as 10 again in the third quarter, but the Hornets closed out the quarter on a 24-13 run and led 72-71 going into the fourth.
The Hornets lost guard Jeremy Lamb to a strained left hamstring injury in the second quarter and he did not return.
NOTES: This was the Hornets' first regular-season game at the Spectrum Center, which was formerly known as Time Warner Cable Arena. ... Charlotte was playing its first back-to-back of the season after winning at Miami 97-91 on Friday night. The Hornets will play only 12 sets of back-to-backs this season with an extremely friendly schedule. ... The Celtics beat the Hornets twice in the preseason. ... Boston was without F Kelly Olynyk (right shoulder rehab) and G Marcus Smart (left ankle sprain). ... The Hornets were without C Roy Hibbert (right knee soreness) but got F Frank Kaminsky back for the first time this season. Kaminsky missed the first two games with a foot injury. ... The Celtics were coming off a 105-99 loss at Chicago on Thursday night, when they accounted for only three offensive rebounds and five second-chance points all night. ... Charlotte will get a three-day break before returning to action Wednesday against Philadelphia at home. ... Boston will return home to face Chicago on Wednesday.