Wednesday’s 29-point Celtics loss to the Hornets provided many lessons for the home team that may have been feeling good about itself after a resounding road win at Milwaukee without two starters.
The Celtics thought they were prepared for the rejuvenated Hornets in their first meeting of the season, but they were completely undressed by a team that’s confident, young, athletic, and talented.
And the Celtics allowed their horrific offensive performance, including a slew of missed layups, to impact their defense, which was equally as horrific.
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The 118-89 loss was one of their worst efforts of the season, and it should serve as a wake-up call that the Eastern Conference is a minefield, with a handful of contenders who no longer take the Celtics as some fluke.
The Knicks and Cavaliers are within reach of Boston for the No. 2 seed. The Hornets, a potential first-round playoff opponent, have won 17 of 21 since a Jan. 17 loss at Golden State.
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The Celtics have played splendid basketball in the past month, winning 12 of 15 games. But there’s still 20 games left in the regular season that includes a pair of matchups with Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta, and games against Cleveland, San Antonio, Minnesota, and the Knicks.
Humility can be a good thing at this time of year. The Celtics have been coasting but they were humiliated by the Hornets, who were just the hungrier team with more to prove. Complacency used to be the Celtics biggest issue in past years, playing to the level of their opponents, allowing lesser teams to compete.
It was a rough night all around for coach Joe Mazzulla and his Celtics.
It was a rough night all around for coach Joe Mazzulla and his Celtics. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
That hasn’t been much of a problem this season, but it was Wednesday night. The Celtics thought the Hornets were the 2023 version (a 27-55 club). They played as if they expected the hot-shooting team to level off, but Charlotte never did. The visitors hit 19 3-pointers. Kon Knueppel (team-best 20 points) looked like the Rookie of the Year (sorry Cooper Flagg). Brandon Miller (18 points, 5 rebounds) played as if he’s finally healthy. LaMelo Ball put on a 3-point show in the fourth quarter, showboating every step of the way.
This conduct should upset the Celtics, and motivate them for the rematch on March 29 in Charlotte. They were embarrassed, and they’re too quality of a team that plays too hard to lose by 29 to anyone. At least they were that team until Wednesday.
“The hardest thing in this league is to stay consistent night after night,” center Nikola Vucevic told the Globe. “Three days ago we looked great, played good ball. Both against Philly and Milwaukee. Tonight wasn’t the case, but on the positive side you have another one Friday and you get a chance to regroup. Even if we had played great and won, we have to do it again Friday.”
New Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) made only 2 of 10 shots Wednesday night, leaving he, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Men in Green frustrated and beaten.
New Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) made only 2 of 10 shots Wednesday night, leaving he, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Men in Green frustrated and beaten.
The Celtics batter teams with their depth, but there have been nights like this on occasion where the standout scorers don’t get a lot of help. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White combined for 49 of the Celtics’ 89 points and 16 of their 30 field goals.
Vucevic needs to play with more aggression. He missed four layups and appeared to get discouraged. He’s attempted just 17 free throws in 11 games as a Celtic and has to be more of a threat to score easy points.
After their 27-point win at Milwaukee without Brown and Neemias Queta, the Celtics were feeling themselves, convinced they were contenders even without Jayson Tatum. Now it appears Tatum, who has spent time in the locker room postgame for the past two games, is close to a return, perhaps even Friday against Flagg and the Mavericks.
But the Celtics can’t just rely on Tatum’s return for a boost. They have to focus mentally on the final quarter of the season, with a schedule that’s challenging.
Jayson Tatum might not be in street clothes on a game night much longer, it seems.
Jayson Tatum might not be in street clothes on a game night much longer, it seems. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
“This is an experienced team, a team that has players and coaches that have won championships. They’ve been to the playoffs a lot,” Vucevic said. “To think as players we understand, you can’t let the (outside voices) affect you, whether it’s good or bad. There’s always that middle ground and you’ve always got to stay there and understand there’s room for improvement.
“There’s always a way to get better. Even a night like (Wednesday) when the score is not great, we understand there’s things we’ve got to do better.”
The road to sealing the No. 2 seed begins Friday at home against Dallas, and it will be an arduous journey. There are Eastern Conference teams just waiting for the Celtics to crack, waiting for their swift decline, convinced they can’t possibly maintain this high level of play for much longer.
It’s the Celtics’ responsibility to prove them wrong. And perhaps this defeat can add motivation because they weren’t mentally prepared and paid for it.
“We weren’t the harder playing team on either side of the ball, and that’s uncharacteristic for us,” Brown said. “I didn’t feel my best tonight. My energy wasn’t good enough to motivate my teammates.
“Today wasn’t characteristic of us; that wasn’t Celtic basketball. They had more energy than us. That hasn’t happened all season long. Today was not the best example of Celtic basketball. As a leader, I take accountability.”
The good news is there are plenty of chances to atone for this hiccup. But the Celtics don’t have much grace for many more of these clunkers if they want to seal that second seed in the East.
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