Celtics star makes blunt admission about team after Hornets rout

Story by

Story by
Celtics star makes blunt admission about team after Hornets rout

Brian Robb · MassLive

Thu, Mar 5, 2026 ·

3 min read

About Our Ads

BOSTON — The Hornets arrived in Boston early Wednesday morning after handily beating the Mavericks for their fifth straight win. A tough back-to-back set seemingly got tougher as the team plane arrived late per sources due to mechanical issues. Meanwhile, the Celtics were waiting and rested in Boston after a blowout win against the Bucks Monday night during which they rested Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta .

Despite those circumstances, the Celtics were the team that looked like they were stuck in the mud on Wednesday night. Charlotte jumped all over Boston to begin the game with a 9-0 run and didn’t look back, cruising to a 118-89 victory in what was the Celtics’ biggest loss of the season.

The Hornets dominated every facet of the game as they ran up a 21-point halftime lead, knocking down nine more 3s, winning the turnover battle 16-5 and shooting eight percent better from the field. However, Jaylen Brown simplified matters when addressing the nightmare performance for Boston.

“We weren’t harder-playing team tonight on either side of the ball,” Brown said. “Uncharacteristic of us. Didn’t get off to a great start. We just wasn’t the harder-playing team tonight.”

The lack of effort was apparent early as Joe Mazzulla called two first quarter timeouts after the Celtics failed to get back in transition. The Hornets finished with a 22-6 edge in fast break points as they used their uptempo play to catch Boston flatfooted. Offensively, the Celtics were unable to keep pace with Brown among others struggling through an ugly shooting night (7-of-19).

“I didn’t feel my best tonight,” Brown said. ‘My energy wasn’t good enough to motivate my teammates, and we came up short. So we got to watch the film and come out and be better. But I take accountability. I got to be better at the rim and play with more energy.”

Brown’s 20 points was his worst scoring night since Jan. 26 and no one else on Boston’s roster was able to pick up the slack. Derrick White (29 points) was the only other player to score in double figures as Boston dropped to 41-21 on the season.

BETTING:Caesars has Boston’s regular season wins line set at 53.5 games. Our complete Caesars Sportsbook review shows you how to register and navigate their app.

Brown and the Celtics will get a chance to bounce back quickly on Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks before hitting the road for a challenging three-game road trip.

“Today wasn’t characteristic of us,” Brown said. “That wasn’t Celtic basketball. They had more energy than us. That hasn’t happened a lot all season long. Today was not the best example of Celtic basketball, and we all can be better. And being a leader, I take accountability.”

More Celtics content