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Hornets Suffer First Summer League Loss of the Year Against the Celtics

Charlotte, missing Tidjane Salaün, falls to Boston late

Albert Bottcher

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After winning their first five summer league games, the Charlotte Hornets were unable to best the Celtics in an 84-89 defeat. This year's 6th pick Tidjane Salaün sat the game out, presumably due to it being the second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte's record in Las Vegas now tallies two wins and one loss, making a semifinal berth unlikely, as only the four teams with the highest winning percentage advance.

Making good on 11 of their 46 three-point attempts in an 80-66 win over Denver last night, Charlotte's shooting struggles continued early on in this one. While the Hornets went 0 of 5 from deep, Boston created plenty of open shots and led the way for the first few minutes. The gap never grew past six points though, as Jake Stephens and Zavier Simpson managed to get some buckets on the inside.

Marcus Garrett dropped a quick four points off the bench and tied the game at 19 heading into the second. Nick Smith Jr., who hadn't scored at all in the first quarter, nailed a triple and let two more follow before halftime, contributing to a 39:33 Hornets lead. Boston's hot stroke from the beginning had completely vanished at this point. Charlotte's defense made life tough for the Celtics, especially 2024 first-round pick Baylor Scheierman.

The going didn't get much easier after the break. A deep shot by Zavier Simpson capped off a 9:0 run by the Hornets, resulting in a 48:39 advantage. Then Charlotte's offense came to a halt, producing fewer good opportunities which led to more and more turnovers. Boston still struggled shooting the ball but got some easy looks on the fastbreak and managed to get within four before the beginning of the fourth.

Crunchtime saw both ball clubs exchange blows, with neither team being able to pull away. Baylor Scheierman and Jahmi'us Ramsey knocked down clutch threes for Boston. Nick Smith Jr. and Matt Morgan did the same for Charlotte, and the game seemed like it would come down to the last possession.

With 36.4 seconds left, the Celtics found themselves up 82:80. An ill-advised intentional foul sent Jaelen House, an 86% free throw shooter in college, to the line. Both attempts found the bottom of the net, Zavier Simpson missed a bunny on the other end and that was all she wrote. Despite the Hornets' best efforts to somehow get back into the game, the first loss of the 2024 summer league was inevitable.

On Friday at 11 pm EST, the Hornets will face off with the Portland Trail Blazers and the 7th pick of the 2024 draft, Donovan Clingan. In a battle of 2-1 records, both teams need a win to keep their trophy hopes alive.

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Albert Bottcher

ALBERT BOTTCHER

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