The Charlotte Hornets walked into TD Garden on Wednesday night and handed the Boston Celtics their worst loss of the season, a 118-89 rout that was never close. When it was over, Jaylen Brown did not look for excuses.
“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. And being a leader, I take accountability.”
Brown finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, one of two Celtics to reach double figures. Charlotte led wire-to-wire, pushed the margin as high as 29, and handed Boston its most lopsided defeat of the 2025-26 season.
The Celtics shot 38% from the floor, converted just 10 of 36 three-point attempts, and went 19-of-39 in the paint. They turned the ball over 16 times, which Charlotte turned into 21 points. Payton Pritchard went 0-for-6 and finished scoreless. Outside of Brown and Derrick White, who led all scorers with 29 points, no Celtic reached double figures.
Mazzulla did not sugarcoat it when asked what Charlotte did defensively to make life difficult for his offense.
“We went 4-for-18 on layups,” Mazzulla said. “So, I don’t know what to tell you.”
Jaylen Brown:
“Today wasn't characteristic of us. That wasn't Celtic basketball. They had more energy than us. That hasn't happened a lot all season long. Today wasn’t the best example of Celtic basketball, and we all can be better. And being a leader, I take accountability." pic.twitter.com/Qw8OhsMWd0— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) March 5, 2026
Boston missed its first eight shots, fell behind 8-0 out of the gate and never recovered. Charlotte scored 35 in the first quarter and led 64-43 at the half. At one point in the second quarter, the Celtics were shooting 25% from the floor. A team that has made a habit of burying opponents this season got buried instead, and nothing they tried changed the outcome.
The back-to-back did not help — Boston was playing its sixth game in nine days — but fatigue alone does not account for a 29-point home loss. The Celtics are 41-21 and one of the better teams in the East. Wednesday looked nothing like that.
The Hornets have now won six straight by 15 or more points, the longest such streak by any NBA team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, according to Stathead. Kon Knueppel led Charlotte with 20 points. Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball each scored 18. Coby White added 17 points and six assists.
Boston had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Celtics host Dallas on Friday.
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