Charles Lee Defends Hornets’ Offensive Approach After 39-Point Loss vs. Celtics

The Charlotte Hornets took 50 3-pointers Friday night against the Boston Celtics and made 11. Boston went 24-of-44 from deep on the other end and won 119-80 at Spectrum Center.

It was Charlotte's sixth straight loss, and the Hornets fell to 3-7. Fifty of their 92 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.

Hornets coach Charles Lee said Charlotte has been getting to the free throw line at a decent clip. The Hornets went 15-of-17 there Friday.

"No, the mindset is still to find the best uncontested shot we can get," Lee said. "We got some layups, and we got to make sure we make our layups, and we're getting to the free throw line at a decent clip. But the goal is to try to create advantages and look for the best uncontested shot we can get."

Inside the arc, Charlotte went 16-of-42. It shot 15-of-38 in the paint.

Charlotte missed its first seven shots of the night, and six of them were 3-pointers. The Hornets finished the first quarter 2-of-14 from deep and trailed 40-20.

They went 3-of-9 from 3-point range in the second quarter and 3-of-14 in the third. Sion James made all three of his attempts in the third. The rest of the Hornets went 0-of-11 in that quarter.

In the fourth, Charlotte went 3-of-13.

Christian Anderson Jr., recalled from the Greensboro Swarm earlier in the day, went 0-of-7. Grayson Allen went 0-of-4 and did not score in 21:35. Coby White and Liam McNeeley each went 1-of-6, and Tidjane Salaün went 2-of-8.

Royce O'Neale made 2 of his 6 tries, and Naz Reid made 2 of 5. Brandon Miller went 0-of-3 before leaving in the second quarter with right groin soreness.

Two nights earlier at Brooklyn, Allen scored 16 points in the second quarter alone and went 4-of-5 from 3-point range in it. Salaün went 3-of-4 from deep in that game, and the Hornets led at halftime before losing 114-104.

In September, Charlotte had four players on its roster who averaged at least 2.5 made 3-pointers the previous season: Kon Knueppel, Miller, Allen, and O'Neale. Only Boston had more.

Knueppel missed Friday's game with a left hamstring strain. Allen and O'Neale combined to go 2-of-10.

The Celtics went 9-of-17 from 3-point range in the first quarter and 17-of-31 by halftime, when they led 70-39. Jayson Tatum went 5-of-8 from deep, and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each went 4-of-6. Sam Hauser made 3 of 5.

Boston assisted on 33 of its 38 field goals.

Tatum said the Celtics try to reach the matchup they want on a second or third action instead of running the same thing over and over.

"Different teams, different matchups," Tatum said. "Some teams switch, some teams [are up to] touch. Had a matchup tonight where they were kind of in drop. Just reading the defense."

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said no two possessions look the same when Boston goes after a cross-match.

"It's twofold, right? You can't have an assist unless the shot goes in," Mazzulla said. "So I like the fact that we shared it, and I think we shared [for] good shots. Played great basketball, pretty well-balanced basketball, but part of efficiency is making the right read. I think our guys did a good job making the right read throughout the game, and it helps to knock it down."

Tatum finished with 34 points and 9 assists. Boston, at 7-2, had 16 fast-break points to Charlotte's 10.

On Nov. 2, the Hornets lost 124-91 to Detroit and matched their season high with 27 turnovers.

Charlotte hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.