Jayson Tatum and the Celtics handled the Hornets 114-93 on Wednesday night at TD Garden, but Charlotte did get a few encouraging signs out of its first road game of the preseason.
The Hornets came in short-handed. Coby White, Kon Knueppel, and Grant Williams were all unavailable again, and Grayson Allen was added to the injury list for the night. Even so, Charlotte got a boost with Christian Anderson available for the first time, and the 2026 18th overall pick made his unofficial NBA debut count.
Anderson wasted little time getting involved. A little more than a minute into his run, he knocked down a mid-range shot.
Shortly after that, he buried his first three-pointer, then hit another from deep a few minutes later. He kept rolling into the second half with another mid-range bucket after checking back in, and by the time the third quarter was winding down, he had 10 points on 4-5 shooting from the field and 2-3 from three.
Anderson finished with 10 points in all, going 4-8 from the field, and he did not score in the fourth quarter.
Tidjane Salaün also gave Charlotte something to build on. The former sixth overall pick, who had struggled in his first two preseason outings, looked much more like the version the Hornets were hoping to see.
He finished with 16 points on 5-9 shooting overall and 4-8 from three. The line wasn’t clean - he also had four turnovers and three fouls - but the scoring was a clear step forward from Sunday.
Charlotte will head to Memphis on Friday, where his follow-up will be worth watching.
Boston eventually pulled away with a 22-8 run after Charlotte had cut a double-digit deficit to five in the fourth quarter. That stretch ended the comeback try and sealed the result for the Hornets, who dropped to 114-93 with Memphis next on the schedule.
One of the more important developments for Charlotte came away from the box score in the paint and on the glass. Boston had dominated the offensive boards in its previous preseason game, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds that turned into 34 second-chance points. With Charlotte also built to battle on the glass, the matchup put Moussa Diabaté and the Hornets under the microscope.
This time, they answered. Through three quarters, Boston was held to just four offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points.
By the final buzzer, the Celtics finished with 9 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points. Charlotte didn’t get the win, but it did show it could limit a dangerous offensive-rebounding team, and that mattered just as much as anything else Wednesday night.
In Other News...
Charles Lee Called Out What Still Holding Back The Hornets
After a loss to Boston, Charles Lee pointed to the Hornets effort as one of the bigger issues still hanging over the team, especially the way turnovers and uneven stretches keep disrupting any chance at building rhythm. The first-year coach framed it as more than a one-night problem, stressing that Charlotte needs a more consistent standard from opening tip to final buzzer if it wants to start forming the kind of habits that show up in winning basketball.
Lee also singled out one player for bringing a two-way mentality that the staff values, noting the impact on both ends of the floor even as the bigger picture remains unsettled. For Charlotte, the challenge is no longer just competing in flashes, but stacking those flashes together long enough to turn them into something repeatable. [Read more 🡒]
Coby White Just Added Pressure To The Hornets New Direction
Coby Whites place in the Hornets next chapter got a little more visible this week when Bleacher Report slotted the guard at No. 92 on its top-99 NBA players list. It is the kind of ranking that does not change a roster, but it does sharpen the discussion around where Charlotte stands after reshuffling its backcourt and deciding to move forward without LaMelo Ball.
White arrived in Charlotte in a trade last season and then signed a three-year deal to stay, giving the Hornets some continuity as they push into a new direction. Now he is expected to handle the starting point guard job, which makes his standing around the league more than just a talking point. For Charlotte, the question is no longer whether White fits the plan. It is how much responsibility he can carry in it. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Anderson Jr. Showed Hornets Fans Exactly Why He Matters
Christian Anderson Jr. finally got on the floor for the Hornets in preseason action after sitting out the first two games with an ankle injury, and he wasted little time reminding Charlotte why the organization valued him enough to make him the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In his debut against the Boston Celtics, he scored 10 points, knocked down two 3-pointers and added two steals, a tidy showing that fit the two-way reputation he built in a standout college run at Texas Tech.
The Hornets were already thin in the backcourt with two other guards out, so Andersons return came with a little extra weight attached. He had said he wanted to help on both offense and defense, and even in a preseason loss, the early evidence pointed in that direction. For a team trying to sort out its guard rotation, his ability to provide scoring, pressure and activity on the other end is the kind of detail worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]