Recap: Hornets drop the Celtics 114-100 behind dominant second quarter


The Celtics could draw the Charlotte Hornets in the first round. If so, they will not take them lightly. That's because the Hornets came into the Garden tonight and hammered the Celtics 114-100.

If the Celtics want the 4 seed and home court in the first round of the playoffs, they're going to have to beat the Heat on Wednesday. The loss drops the Celtics to 47-34 on the year.

Oh, that second quarter.

That's bad. The Celtics only put up 13 points in the frame.

Jeremy Lin was a force in this one. He dropped in 25 points (17 in the second quarter), 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Nicholas Batum was an eye popping +31 before leaving the game with an ankle injury. The Hornets shot just over 50% from the field.

For the Celtics, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas each had 17 points. Kelly Olynyk added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

A 14-4 run in the fourth (featuring RJ HUNTER) got the Celtics within 15 with just under 6 minutes to go, but they could not shave any more off the lead from there. Hunter finished with 11 points, 2-3 from deep.