Celtics 85, Hornets 93

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Tony Allen drops a no-look pass off to a teammate around his defender, Emeka Okafor, during Boston's final game before the All-Star break.
Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

Another halftime lead, another poor third quarter. That was the story of the game yet again for Boston tonight in New Orleans, as they fell to the Hornets 93-85.

Boston took a 12-point lead into halftime, but once the third quarter began, it was like a different Celtics team was on the court.

While the Hornets were drilling nearly every shot they took, the C's couldn't buy a bucket or even get a free throw to drop. The Celtics went 5-of-19 from the field and 2-of-9 from the free throw line. On the flip side, the Hornets shot 10-0f-22 form the field, including six threes.

Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson were the two stars of the quarter for New Orleans. Both played their familiar roles of perimeter sharpshooter and doubled up to bring the Hornets back in the game with 25 of the team's 29 points in the quarter. Together, they hit five 3-pointers that one-by-one turned this game around in New Orleans' favor.

When all was said and done, the Hornets had outscored Boston 29-12 in the third period, turning that 12-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead. The Celtics never recovered from there, and as a result, they're heading into the All-Star break with two consecutive losses.

Key Box Score Line

Thought the Hornets would struggle without Chris Paul on the floor? Think again.

Filling in for the injured Paul, rookie point guard Darren Collison was as impressive as they come. He recorded game-highs of 25 points, nine assists and four steals and could not be contained at the offensive end of the court. His slashing to the basket fueled the Hornets' offense and sparked them in the second half. He may have also finished with a franchise-record 10 turnovers, but the Hornets will take it if it means a victory.

Collison was by far the best player on the floor tonight. Without him breaking down the defense, the C's might be singing a different tune heading into the break.

Box Score Nuggets

• Paul Pierce (15 points) and Kevin Garnett (seven points) scored only two points in the second half.
• Darren Collison was one assist shy of recording the dubious triple double of points-assists-turnovers.
• Boston shot 16-of-27 from the free throw line.
• No Celtic scored more than 15 points.
• Boston's bench scored 40 points, led by Marquis Daniels' 14 and Rasheed Wallace's 13.
• Three Celtics starters scored seven or less points.
• Boston outscored New Orleans 50-32 in the paint and 17-15 on the fast break.
• Every Hornets starter had a positive plus/minus rating, while every reserve had a negative plus/minus rating, with the exception of Jason Hart, who recorded a 0 in that department.
• Every Celtics starter had a negative plus/minus rating, while three out of five reserves had a positive plus/minus rating.
• New Orleans outrebounded Boston 47-37.
• Boston recorded 12 steals in the game, while New Orleans recorded 10.
• Not a single Celtic had more than four assists in the game.
• Morris Peterson recorded the only double-double of the game, with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Quote of the Night

Doc Rivers on the third quarter: "In the first half we gave great effort and had a good lead going into halftime. Third quarter we came out with a lot of jump shots and dribbling, whch lead to a lot of turnovers. Then we missed seven free throws straight. It's tough to win games when you turn the ball over and miss free throws."