The good news: The Celtics had little trouble beating the Hornets in Charlotte on New Year’s Eve, and are now 3-0 against them this season. The bad news: That was Boston’s last game vs. Charlotte this season. Here are five notable points.
Balanced scoring
It’s good to know that when one of your top three scorers misses the game due to illness, you have a former All-Star available to pick up the slack. With Jaylen Brown out, Gordon Hayward shot 9-of-14 (3-of-6 on threes) for 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 6 assists.