The Boston Celtics absolutely blew out the Charlotte Hornets 119-80 on Friday night at The Spectrum Center, a game where Jayson Tatum showed off some serious superpowers, dropping 34 points in just 29 minutes. This wasn’t just a regular season win, either, it was an NBA Cup game, and the defending Player of the Week straight up owned the court in North Carolina.
Tatum’s Unstoppable Night and His Carolina Roots
Seriously, Tatum was lights out. He was 11-for-11 from the free throw line, nailing 5-of-8 from behind the arc, and he nearly snagged a triple-double with eight rebounds and nine assists. The craziest part? He didn’t even play a minute in the entire fourth quarter because the game was such a one-sided affair. This visit to North Carolina clearly means something to Tatum, who goes way back. He posted in 2015 when he was at Chaminade that he was “Baby PG,” even claiming he was the first college player to rock the PG1s at Duke. And against the Hornets, he just elevates. He averages almost 30 points per game against them, which is his highest scoring average against any of the 29 other NBA teams. When point differential matters in the NBA Cup, you know he brought that extra fire.
The Three-Point Barrage Was Real
The Celtics weren’t just winning, they were making it rain from deep, practically flirting with the NBA record for most threes in a game! They put up 24 threes on 44 attempts, setting a new NBA Cup record. Remember when they tied the NBA record for 29 threes on Opening Night in 2024 against the Knicks? Well, they had 17 at halftime in this game and if it wasn’t such a blowout, who knows, they might have added another five or more to that total. Talk about catching fire!
Hornets’ Woes and G-League Prowess
On the Hornets’ side, it was a tough night, made even tougher with some “notable absences” from their roster. Brandon Miller, who once called Paul George his GOAT, had a rough go of it, leaving the game in the second half with groin soreness. He ended his night with 8 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one block, shooting 3-of-10 from the field. Funny enough, his idol Paul George wasn’t much better in similar situations, going 3-of-11. Meanwhile, up the eastern seaboard, Boston’s G-League squad, the Maine Celtics, opened their season with a blowout win too, 123-94 over the Westchester Knicks. Rookie Dillon Mitchell dropped six dunks and a triple, including an alley-oop from Milos Uzan, who along with Chris Cenac Jr., had 21 points each.
This kind of performance sets a serious tone for Boston. With Tatum firing on all cylinders and the team raining down threes, opponents better be ready for a fight every single night. The league’s been put on notice.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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