NBA: Boston punish Charlotte's turnovers in preseason win
Winners 114–93 in the preseason, the Celtics made up for poorer three-point shooting with more shot attempts and answers from their bench.
Contribution SNA · Author profile · · Updated 15/10/2026 10:23 UTC
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Charlotte hit sixteen three-pointers, Boston only eleven. The Celtics still won 114–93 at TD Garden, their home arena in Boston, overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in Brazzaville: the Hornets' thirty turnovers weighed more heavily than their long-range shooting.
This third win in three preseason games earns no victory in the regular-season standings. It does, though, give Boston another successful tune-up before the campaign begins. Against a Charlotte side still able to cut the deficit to five points in the final quarter, the Celtics found several answers: Jayson Tatum's passes to Mitchell Robinson, the contribution of their reserves and a defence that racked up the steals.
Charlotte fight back, then the bench responds
Boston finished the first quarter ahead, 28–20, then went into the locker room with a ten-point lead, 54–44. Tatum and Robinson found their timing on lobs finished near the rim. The centre ended with five of five from the field, for twelve points and seven rebounds in seventeen minutes. Tatum himself totalled nineteen points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Hornets did not fade after the break. They won the third quarter 33–31, then Naz Reid hit a three-pointer early in the fourth to cut the score to 85–80. Boston replied with a three from Baylor Scheierman. After two free throws from Brandon Miller, Robinson made his own and Neemias Queta scored on a dunk: the Celtics were back up by ten points, 92–82.
Charlotte closed again to 92–84, before two three-pointers from Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez, both set up by Payton Pritchard. In twenty-three seconds, the gap grew to fourteen points. Garza then added two baskets near the rim; at 105–88, on his latest three-pointer with 6 min 32 sec left, Boston had clearly pulled away again. Boston won the final quarter 29–16.
Why the three-pointers were not enough
The difference between the two teams showed up mostly in the number of shooting opportunities. Boston attempted 92 field goals, Charlotte 75. The Hornets turned the ball over thirty times in all, against eleven for the Celtics: that many possessions ended before they could build a shot. Boston made sixteen steals and scored 56 points in the paint, against twenty for Charlotte. The Hornets' edge from behind the three-point line did not make up for that gap.
Boston's reserves also provided distinct solutions. Queta scored sixteen points and Garza fourteen, while Pritchard handed out eleven assists without a turnover. Derrick White added seventeen points and four steals. For Charlotte, Miller and Tidjane Salaün each scored sixteen points; Salaün made four of his eight three-point attempts. Those makes give the Hornets something to build on, but their ball security still needs fixing.
Joe Mazzulla had started Tatum, White, Robinson, Paul George and Jordan Walsh again. It is a combination tested in the preseason, not a settled pecking order for the season. Boston will end their preseason on Friday 16 October in Philadelphia, at 19:00 local time, or 0:00 on Saturday 17 October in Brazzaville. The final outing will above all show which pairings are used again; the line-ups remain to be confirmed.
SNA contribution
Photo: Erik Drost, Payton Pritchard against Cleveland, 15 November 2021, CC BY 2.0. Archive image adapted to the cover format with an SNA watermark; it does not show the match of 14 October 2026.
