Celtics 113, Hornets 102

Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and Jayson Tatum 23, and Derrick White scored all 12 of his points on threes last night, going 4-5 from outside. Payton Pritchard scored all 12 of his from outside the line, too, going 4-7 on threes and 4-8 overall. Nikola Vučević had seven rebounds and scored two points, but also added two assists and two steals. 

The Hornets outscored the Celtics,  31-20, in the first quarter, including 13 points from LaMelo Ball, who finished the game with 36. But Boston fought back, retaking the lead mid-way through the third, and after some back-and-forth lead changes, held on for the win.   

With three games left to the regular season, the Celtics are 54-25 and are three games up on the Knicks (51-28), who they play on Thursday. Based on the current standings, the Celtics will face the winner of the Philly-Orlando play-in series in the first round of the playoffs.