The Boston Celtics (14 - 10) beat the rising Charlotte Hornets (14 - 9) after the teams traded three - pointers in the final 30 seconds. For Boston, the win came on the coattails of a devestating loss in double overtime against the Golden State Warriors. Despite the extended matchup on Friday, the Celtics came out guns blazing in Charlotte. Rising star Avery Bradley led the way with 23 points, while point guard Isaiah Thomas had a 21 - point, 13 - assist double - double. Boston has exceeded most expert's expectations this season, now sitting four games above .500 and coming off a back - to - back in which they defeated the Eastern Conference's second seed and came seconds away from snapping the Golden State Warriors' historic win streak. The young team, along with third - year coach Brad Stevens will hope to improve upon last year's surprising playoff run. Meanwhile, the loss comes as a bit of a momentum killer for Charlotte, who had won five of their previous six games. Even in the face of a loss, small forward Nicolas Batum put up strong numbers. In his first year with the Hornets, Batum has been impeccable, putting up impressive averages of 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists and helping the lottery team transform into one of the Eastern Conference's toughest matchups. Point guard Kemba Walker, meanwhile, had an off shooting night, going just 5 - 15 from the floor. After what was a heartbreaking Friday night for Boston, the win against Charlotte should help the team regain its momentum before a big game against Cleveland on Tuesday. Charlotte's next matchup will be against the Magic in Orlando on Wednesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 9 Losses ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 14 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 10 Losses ,has 14 Points in 1st quarter ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Avery Bradley') has 23 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 13 Assists ,has 21 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Nicolas Batum') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Free throws attempted ."]