Charlotte Hornets absorb Boston Celtics second-quarter 36-point surge as LaMelo Ball leads scoring in Spectrum Center loss

The Charlotte Hornets moved to 39-36 after a 114-99 Charlotte Hornets full-time result against the Boston Celtics, who improved to 50-24 at Spectrum Center on 6:00 PM EDT.

First quarter

The Hornets opened with 21 points in the first quarter while the Celtics scored 27 in the same quarter.

The Hornets shot 43 percent from the field for the game, and Boston finished at 51 percent.

Second quarter

Boston’s 36-point second quarter separated the game from a 1-point margin into a 14-point halftime gap, with Charlotte scoring 28 in the quarter.

The Celtics hit 41 percent from 3-point range for the game, while the Hornets finished at 28 percent on 3s.

Third quarter

Charlotte matched Boston at 26 points in the third quarter, with the Hornets getting 40 points in the paint in the game compared with the Celtics’ 52.

LaMelo Ball led Buzz City with 19 points, and Brandon Miller added 13 points and 6 rebounds, according to the Charlotte Hornets post-match stats.

Fourth quarter

The Hornets scored 24 points in the fourth quarter while Boston scored 25, and Charlotte finished with 36 bench points against Boston’s 27.

Miles Bridges scored 14 points on 56 percent shooting, and Boston finished with 23 assists to Charlotte’s 19 as the Green Machine protected the ball with 7 turnovers to Charlotte’s 12.

The Charlotte Hornets coach post-game reaction pointed to the 50-50 split in fast-break attempts, with Charlotte converting 2 fast-break baskets and Boston converting 3.

Charlotte will be back on the floor at 7:30 PM EDT on 3/31/2026, with the Hive visiting the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and the broadcast will be available on FDSSE and WLNY alongside Charlotte Hornets post-game interviews.

Catch the recap, check the box score, and share this article with other Hornets fans.